Anji Kills a King

I haven't had much luck with SFF debuts these last couple of years. For some reason, most of them just can't scratch that itch and make me want to find out what happens next. Even worse, most of them have been veritable chores to finish. Which is why I've been steering clear from debuts for a while.

Still, I have to admit that my curiosity was piqued when the publicist handling Anji Kills a King got in touch with me about getting an early read of this one. I didn't know it at the time, but Evan Leikam is a fellow book reviewer who hosts a podcast. The blurb was intriguing, so I decided to give this new debut a shot.

Alas, Leikam's debut was a disappointment on all fronts. Don't let the cover blurb mislead you. It's got nothing in common with Joe Abercrombie's body of work. I haven't read Christopher Buehlman yet, so I can't comment on any similarities between his novels and Anji Kills a King. I can say that, much like Kuang's The Poppy War, this one features an absurdly annoying young female lead and that's about it.

It's too bad, for this novel did have potential. Yet the utter lack of worldbuilding, the often boring linear plot, the perspective of a single dumb protagonist, the pathetic quality of the antagonists, and the somewhat black and white approach with little or no nuance whatsoever turned what seemed to have true promise into a lackluster dark YA effort that failed to deliver.

Here's the blurb:

An unlikely assassin struggles to escape a legendary bounty hunter in this breakneck fantasy debut that will grab you by the throat—perfect for fans of Joe Abercrombie, R.F. Kuang, and Christopher Buehlman.

She killed for a cause. Will she die for it too?

Anji works as a castle servant, cleaning laundry for a king she hates. So when a rare opportunity presents itself, she seizes the chance to cut his throat. Then she runs for her life. In her wake, the kingdom is thrown into disarray, while a bounty bigger than anyone could imagine lands on her head.

On her heels are the fabled mercenaries of the Menagerie, whose animal-shaped masks are magical relics rumored to give them superhuman powers. It’s the Hawk who finds Anji, a surly, aging swordswoman who has her own reasons for keeping Anji alive and out of the hands of her fellow bounty hunters, if only long enough to collect the reward herself.

With the rest of the Menagerie on their trail, so begins an alliance as tenuous as it is temporary—and a race against death that will decide Anji’s fate, and may change the course of a kingdom.

From the very beginning, the premise doesn't make much sense. How can a lowly laundress find herself alone in the presence of the king, with no guards or other attendants close by, and then kill him and get away without anyone being the wiser? Still, I elected to go with the flow and see how the tale unfolds. Needless to say, Anji Kills a King starts with a bang and is good until the Hawk takes Anji into custody. Their relationship is at first interesting, but things quickly go down the crapper and they never quite recover until just before the end. By then it's too late to save this one.

The worldbuilding leaves a lot to be desired. Evan Leikam introduces what seem to be intriguing concepts, yet he rarely sees fit to elaborate on any of them. Weighing in at barely 350 pages, it's not like the author was forced to cut scenes or get rid of exposition meant to provide depth to his ideas. As a matter of course, not all secrets can be divulged in the first installment of a new series. Then again, with this being a debut, there must be enough meat around the bone to capture my imagination and maintain my interest. Leikam did it with the Rail addiction. It works like cocaine, but it turns users into monsters known as Dredgers once addicted. Drug use and their repercussions are seldom explored in fantasy stories, so this was a different theme which stands out. Trouble is, beyond Rail Leikam only provides bare bone details about everything else. We learn nothing of King Rolandrian and the kingdom of Yem's politics and why things are the way they are. Nothing of the neighboring kingdoms. Very little of the Order of the Inheritance and their fall from grace. Nothing of the Nine Gods. Nothing of the Sun Wardens and the One Path and how it became the state religion. Nothing of the Maxia, the magic system in Leikam's universe. Very little of what made the Menagerie so fearsome and helped them become the kingdom's most notorious bounty hunters. Sadly, there is almost no depth to speak of. I'm at a total loss to explain this, as it's not like fleshing out these ideas would have boosted the page count by a whole lot. And yet, it would have elevated Anji Kills a King to another level.

As subpar as the worldbuilding turned out to be, it's the characterization that really sinks this book. Not because Anji isn't a well drawn character. She is that. Problem is, Anji just might be the most annoying protagonist I've ever encountered. Hotheaded to the point of stupidity, she's a chore to follow. It took her getting maimed so she could finally shut the hell up. Not only did I feel no desire to root for her, I wanted her to die at every turn. Flashback sequences are meant to show how Anji ended up an orphan working at the castle laundry, yet she is so exasperating that the emotional arc such scenes are meant to build completely failed to have an impact on me. The snarky banter between Anji and the Hawk gets old real fast, and their relationship doesn't really get interesting until the very end. The piss-poor quality of the antagonists, whether it's how lame the masked bounty hunters of the Menagerie are, or the Nazi religious fucktardness of the Sun Wardens, didn't help in the least. With Anji being such an irritating main character, the novel would have benefited from a stronger supporting cast. Unfortunately, other than the Hawk, and Leikam kept his cards way too close to his chest for too long as far as she's concerned, Anji needs to carry this entire tale on her shoulders and she can possibly do that.

Based on the blurb, I was expecting a fast-paced novel. And though some portions are indeed breakneck in nature, others are a slog. A good chunk of this tale is little more than a travelogue in which the Hawk attempts to bring Anji back to the capital to face justice in a roundabout way meant to elude pursuit. To be honest, more often than not it's just for random stuff to occur, mostly violent encounters with monsters or enemies. There is no endgame per se and the ending felt extremely YA and a bit nonsensical. You don't see it coming, which is nice. And yet, it doesn't redeem the previous three hundred pages or so that you have to go through to reach it.

To a certain extent, Anji Kills a King feels like something that isn't a final draft. As mentioned, there are some cool ideas, but they are not developed enough and the faulty execution means that this debut can never live up to its potential. It's sad, for with more editing, more worldbuilding, and more work on the characterization, this would have been a much better and more entertaing read.

The final verdict: 5.5/10

For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

You can read an excerpt from the book here.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Martha Wells' Wheel of the Infinite for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

A traitor and a swordsman join forces to save the world from being rewritten into devastation.

Every year the image of the Wheel of the Infinite must be painstakingly remade to ensure another year of peace and harmony for the Celestial Empire. Every hundred years the very fabric of the world must be rewoven. Linked by the mystic energies of the Infinite, the Wheel and world are one. But a black storm is spreading across the Wheel, reappearing each morning, bigger and darker than before, unraveling the beautiful and orderly patterns.

Maskelle, a murderer and traitor, has been summoned back to help put the world right with the assistance of the mysterious Rian, a swordsman of some renown. If they can’t find the source of the problems that plague the Wheel, the world may find its latest rotation is its last.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Joe Abercrombie's The Heroes for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

An epic battle that will decide the fate of the North unfolds in this novel set in the world of the First Law from NYT bestselling author Joe Abercrombie.

Three men. One Battle. No Heroes.

They say Black Dow's killed more men than winter, and clawed his way to the throne of the North up a hill of skulls. The King of the Union, ever a jealous neighbor, is not about to stand smiling by while he claws his way any higher. The orders have been given and the armies are toiling through the northern mud.

Thousands of men are converging on a forgotten ring of stones, on a worthless hill, in an unimportant valley, and they've brought a lot of sharpened metal with them.

Bremer dan Gorst, disgraced master swordsman, has sworn to reclaim his stolen honor on the battlefield. Obsessed with redemption and addicted to violence, he's far past caring how much blood gets spilled in the attempt. Even if it's his own.

Prince Calder isn't interested in honor, and still less in getting himself killed. All he wants is power, and he'll tell any lie, use any trick, and betray any friend to get it. Just as long as he doesn't have to fight for it himself.

Curnden Craw, the last honest man in the North, has gained nothing from a life of warfare but swollen knees and frayed nerves. He hardly even cares who wins any more, he just wants to do the right thing. But can he even tell what that is with the world burning down around him?

Over three bloody days of battle, the fate of the North will be decided. But with both sides riddled by intrigues, follies, feuds and petty jealousies, it is unlikely to be the noblest hearts, or even the strongest arms that prevail.

For glory, for victory, for staying alive.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Ted Chiang's Arrival for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

Previously published as Stories of Your Life and Others. Includes "Story Of Your Life," the basis for the major motion picture Arrival, starring Amy Adams, Forest Whitaker, Jeremy Renner, and directed by Denis Villeneuve.

“A swell movie adaptation always sends me to the source material, so Arrival had me pick up Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others: lean, relentless, and incandescent.” —Colson Whitehead, GQ

Ted Chiang has long been known as one of the most powerful science fiction writers working today. Offering readers the dual delights of the very strange and the heartbreakingly familiar, Arrival presents characters who must confront sudden change. In "Story of Your Life," which provides the basis for the film Arrival, alien lifeforms suddenly appear on Earth. When a linguist is brought in to help communicate with them and discern their intentions, her new knowledge of their language and its nonlinear structure allows her to see future events and all the joy and pain they may bring. In each story of this incredible collection, with sharp intelligence and humor, Ted Chiang examines what it means to be alive in a world marked by uncertainty, but also by wonder.

You can also get your hands on the digital edition of Martha Wells' All Systems Red for only 1.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

"As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure."

In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.

But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.

On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid—a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is.

But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.

You can also download Seanan McGuire's Middlegame for only 2.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

A HUGO AWARD FINALIST!

WINNER OF THE LOCUS AWARD FOR BEST FANTASY NOVEL, 2020!

A Pick on the 2020 RUSA Reading List!

New York Times bestselling and Alex, Nebula, and Hugo-Award-winning author Seanan McGuire introduces readers to a world of amoral alchemy, shadowy organizations, and impossible cities in the standalone fantasy, Middlegame.

Meet Roger. Skilled with words, languages come easily to him. He instinctively understands how the world works through the power of story.

Meet Dodger, his twin. Numbers are her world, her obsession, her everything. All she understands, she does so through the power of math.

Roger and Dodger aren’t exactly human, though they don’t realise it. They aren’t exactly gods, either. Not entirely. Not yet.

Meet Reed, skilled in the alchemical arts like his progenitor before him. Reed created Dodger and her brother. He’s not their father. Not quite. But he has a plan: to raise the twins to the highest power, to ascend with them and claim their authority as his own.

Godhood is attainable. Pray it isn’t attained.

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (March 16th)

In hardcover:

Rebecca Yarros' Onyx Storm maintains its position at number 1. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Iron Flame maintains its position at number 3. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

T. Kingfisher's Swordheart debuts at number 5. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing is up three spots, finishing the week at number 7. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing is down one position, ending the week at number 5. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Callie Hart's Quicksilver is down three positions, ending the week at number 10. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses is down seven positions, ending the week at number 15. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Kate Elliott's Black Wolves for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

An exiled captain returns to help the son of the king who died under his protection in this rich and multi-layered first book in an action-packed new series.

Twenty two years have passed since Kellas, once Captain of the legendary Black Wolves, lost his King and with him his honor. With the King murdered and the Black Wolves disbanded, Kellas lives as an exile far from the palace he once guarded with his life.

Until Marshal Dannarah, sister to the dead King, comes to him with a plea-rejoin the palace guard and save her nephew, King Jehosh, before he meets his father's fate.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Ian Tregillis' Something More Than Night for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

Ian Tregillis's Something More Than Night is a Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler inspired murder mystery set in Thomas Aquinas’s vision of Heaven. It’s a noir detective story starring fallen angels, the heavenly choir, nightclub stigmatics, a priest with a dirty secret, a femme fatale, and the Voice of God.

Somebody has murdered the angel Gabriel. Worse, the Jericho Trumpet has gone missing, putting Heaven on the brink of a truly cosmic crisis. But the twisty plot that unfolds from the murder investigation leads to something much bigger: a con job one billion years in the making.

Because this is no mere murder. A small band of angels has decided to break out of heaven, but they need a human patsy to make their plan work.

Much of the story is told from the point of view of Bayliss, a cynical fallen angel who has modeled himself on Philip Marlowe. The yarn he spins follows the progression of a Marlowe novel—the mysterious dame who needs his help, getting grilled by the bulls, finding a stiff, getting slipped a mickey.

Angels and gunsels, dames with eyes like fire, and a grand maguffin, Something More Than Night is a murder mystery for the cosmos.

Hunter's Oath

You probably recall that I was a huge fan of Michelle West's the Sun Sword series. Unfortunately, I was far less enthused about the House War sequence which came after. Especially the finale, which is doubtless the most underwhelming ending to a fantasy series that I've ever read. I knew then that I needed a break from West, even if I knew I'd eventually return to her grand Essalieyan saga at some point.

In the end, it took me about a year to garner the courage to give the author another shot. It took this long because, according to most fans, the Sacred Hunt duology is West's first and weakest work. And yet, since you cannot read her latest novel, Hunter's Readoubt, without having first read the duology, I had no choice but to go through both Hunter's Oath and Hunter's Death before I could read about the aftermath of West's other series.

My expectations weren't particularly high to begin with, yet I found myself enjoying Hunter's Oath a lot more than I expected. There is a much tighter forcus to the writing, which is a welcome change from everything that was written after the Sacred Hunt.

Here's the blurb:

When the covenant was made with the Hunter God, all who dwelt in Breodanir swore to abide by it. The Hunter Lords—and the hunting dogs to which their minds were specially attuned—would seek out game in the God’s woods to provide food for their people, and the Hunter God would ensure that the Hunters, the land, and the people prospered.

But in payment, once a year the Sacred Hunt must be called, the God’s own Hunt in which the prey became one of the Lords, or his huntbrother. This was the Hunter’s Oath, sworn by each Lord and his huntbrother—the companion chosen from the common folk to remind each Lord of his own ties to humanity. It was the Oath pledged in blood by Gilliam of Elseth and the orphan boy Stephen—and the fulfillment of that Oath would lead them to the kind of destiny from which legends were made…

From reading both the Sun Sword and the House War, we've learned very little about Breodanir, the Western Kingdoms, and the Free Towns. We know that Breodanir is where reality began to unravel as the tale of the House War series progressed, but not much else. Hunter's Oath introduces readers to the Hunter Lords and their huntbrothers, to the women who govern their estates, as well as the Hunter's Oath and the Sacred Hunt which sees one of their number sacrificed every year. I've mentioned that there is a tighter focus to Michelle West's writing, which is a good thing. As the first book in a saga that is now comprised of seventeen novels and several short stories, there is an absence of the scope and vision that made so many storylines in the following series such compelling reads. Still, Hunter's Oath is the genesis for many of these plotlines, chief among them those of Evayne and Kallandras. Indeed, even though they're not mentioned in the blurb, these two play pivotal roles in Gilliam and Stephen's tale. West's worldbuilding is what made the Essalieyan saga so amazing in the past, and you can see her placing pieces on the board that will have dire repercussions down the line.

Characterization is what ultimately sunk the House War series. Indeed, the poor characterization and the weird choice of perspectives often undermined what should have been key and emotionally charged moments. As West's first published work with Daw Books, I have a feeling her editor gave her a lot less leeway in that regard. Which explains the tight focus and the smaller number of POV characters. Even though Gilliam and Stephen take center stage, they are often upstaged by not only Evayne and Kallandras, but also by Gilliam's mother Lady Elseth. Perhaps because I've already read both the Sun Sword and the House War series, through no fault of their own, I was more invested in Evayne and Kallandras' storylines. It was nice to have Evayne as a POV character for a change and to finally find out how she acquired her rings. The strange girl Espere and Cynthia were also nice additions to the supporting cast.

Although Hunter's Oath is by no means a fast-paced affair, West keeps the story moving at a good clip. There are no extraneous and/or pointless plotlines to go through, so once again the tighter focus on the writing works wonders on the plot. The author's prose is less verbose and repetitive, which is also an improvement.

As the first installment in a duology, there is no endgame and finale per se. Nevertheless, Michelle West closes the show with panache and sets the stage for what comes next. My expectations may have been low for this book, but I have to admit that the bar has been raised for the second volume, Hunter's Death. Definitely looking forward to what comes next!

The final verdict: 8/10

For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Hugh Howey's Wool for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

The first book in the acclaimed, New York Times best-selling trilogy, Wool is the story of mankind clawing for survival. The world outside has grown toxic, the view of it limited, talk of it forbidden. The remnants of humanity live underground in a single silo.

But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they want: They are allowed to go outside.

After the previous sheriff leaves the silo in a terrifying ritual, Juliette, a mechanic from the down deep, is suddenly and inexplicably promoted to the head of law enforcement. With newfound power and with little regard for the customs she is supposed to abide, Juliette uncovers hints of a sinister conspiracy. Tugging this thread may uncover the truth . . . or it could kill every last human alive.

Quote of the Day

Why not let trust and respect be our first instincts when encountering a foreign people? In either event, the likelihood of our making war on them is all but assured; at least in this way, we can say they started it.

- RICHARD SWAN, Grave Empire

For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Jay Kristoff's Nevernight for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

Nevernight is the first in an epic new fantasy series from the New York Times bestselling author, Jay Kristoff.

In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.

Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.

Now, a sixteen year old Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic — the Red Church. Treachery and trials await her with the Church’s halls, and to fail is to die. But if she survives to initiation, Mia will be inducted among the chosen of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the only thing she desires.

Revenge.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Guy Gavriel Kay's The Lions of Al-Rassan for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

The ruling Asharites of Al-Rassan have come from the desert sands, but over centuries, seduced by the sensuous pleasures of their new land, their stern piety has eroded. The Asharite empire has splintered into decadent city-states led by warring petty kings. King Almalik of Cartada is on the ascendancy, aided always by his friend and advisor, the notorious Ammar ibn Khairan -- poet, diplomat, soldier -- until a summer afternoon of savage brutality changes their relationship forever.

Meanwhile, in the north, the conquered Jaddites' most celebrated -- and feared -- military leader, Rodrigo Belmonte, driven into exile, leads his mercenary company south.

In the dangerous lands of Al-Rassan, these two men from different worlds meet and serve -- for a time -- the same master. Sharing their interwoven fate -- and increasingly torn by her feelings -- is Jehane, the accomplished court physician, whose own skills play an increasing role as Al-Rassan is swept to the brink of holy war, and beyond.

Hauntingly evocative of medieval Spain, The Lions of Al-Rassan is both a brilliant adventure and a deeply compelling story of love, divided loyalties, and what happens to men and women when hardening beliefs begin to remake -- or destroy -- a world.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download 31 od J. R. R. Tolkien Tolkien's works for only 1.99$ or 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

For anyone wanting to build their e-library, this is the moment!

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (March 9th)

In hardcover:

Rebecca Yarros' Onyx Storm maintains its position at number 1. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Iron Flame is down one position, ending the week at number 3. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing is down two spots, finishing the week at number 10. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing is down one position, ending the week at number 4. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Callie Hart's Quicksilver is up one position, ending the week at number 7. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses is up one position, ending the week at number 8. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale returns at number 14. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Ed McDonald's Witch Queen of Redwinter for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

Having been saved from execution at the hands of the Draoihn—powerful magic users Raine used to count as allies—Raine finds herself in the Fault, a vast magical wasteland, which is falling apart before her eyes.

Alongside her two closest companions, they are searching for the only person Raine believes can help them get back home: the enigmatic and infuriatingly elusive Queen of Feathers.

But what home are they trying to get back to? Ovitus LacNaithe, power-hungry traitor that he is, has taken control of the Draoihn and is unwittingly doing the bidding of a darker master. He is soon to take control of the Crown of Harranir and plunge the land into unending darkness.

The fate of two worlds hangs in the balance. The stakes have never been higher. It’s going to take Raine’s dark, terrible powers, as well as the unbreakable bond of three friends, to ensure everyone lives to see the dawn.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

The Blighted Stars

I've been hearing good things about Megan E. O'Keefe for a while. So when a slew of Orbit titles went on sale a few months back, I got my hands on The Blighted Stars to find out for myself whether or not I'd enjoy her brand of science fiction.

This is by no means hard scifi. It's a character-driven, easy-to-read space opera sprinkled with a bit of romance. Hence, I would say that The Blighted Stars is a very accessible work that can appeal to any SFF reader. Having said that, fans of novels/series that resound with more depth à la Peter F. Hamilton, Alastair Reynolds, Ian McDonald, or James S. A. Corey may feel that something's missing. However, readers intimidated by the scope and vision of those aforementioned authors will probably feel right at home in O'Keefe's universe.

Here's the blurb:

When a spy is stranded on a dead planet with her mortal enemy, she must first figure out how to survive before she can uncover the conspiracy that landed them both there in the first place.

She’s a revolutionary. Humanity is running out of options. Habitable planets are being destroyed as quickly as they’re found and Naira Sharp knows the reason why. The all-powerful Mercator family has been controlling the exploration of the universe for decades, and exploiting any materials they find along the way under the guise of helping humanity’s expansion. But Naira knows the truth, and she plans to bring the whole family down from the inside.

He’s the heir to the dynasty. Tarquin Mercator never wanted to run a galaxy-spanning business empire. He just wanted to study rocks and read books. But Tarquin’s father has tasked him with monitoring the mining of a new planet, and he doesn’t really have a choice in the matter.

Disguised as Tarquin’s new bodyguard, Naira plans to destroy his ship before it lands. But neither of them expects to end up stranded on a dead planet. To survive and keep her secret, Naira will have to join forces with the man she’s sworn to hate. And together they will uncover a plot that’s bigger than both of them.

What I enjoyed the most about The Blighted Stars is the fact that things go down the crapper from the get-go. There is no introduction to set the stage for what comes next. Everything goes sideways at the very start, which makes for an exciting beginning. It does mean that you have to buckle up and go with the flow. Information will be provided in a non-linear fashion as the story progresses. The author appears to be a geology nerd and she did go all out in this novel. Maybe a bit too much, in my humble opinion, but it doesn't hurt the overall reading experience. O'Keefe borrows concepts and ideas from Richard Morgan's Altered Carbon and the videogame/TV series The Last of Us, yet makes them her own.

I liked that O'Keefe turned the tables on the old trope of the female protagonist and her male bodyguard, and made Naira Sharp the stronger and more lethal character. Tarquin Mercator's your typical clueless, rich do-gooder, but he does redeem himself on occasion. The budding romance doesn't really get in the way of the story, yet I'm not sure it adds anything special to the plot. Yes, it is corny at times. I still don't know why it had to become a romance at all. Tarquin ruined Naira's life when he testified against her at her trial, but what transpires in The Blighted Stars could have led to respect and friendship and would have been less cheesy. Of course, with the way the novel ends, it will be interesting to see what O'Keefe has in store for the both of them. Still, less focus on the romance and more depth on the political intrigue could have been beneficial. The entire MERIT and Tarquin's father's storylines were the plot's weakest links, to be honest, and they could have used a bit more work.

The Blighted Stars doesn't suffer from pacing issues. The author keeps things moving at a good clip, with a rousing endgame and a good, if predictable, ending. This first volume opens the door for lots of bigger and better things to come. Let's hope that Megan E. O'Keefe can step up to the plate and deliver sequels that live up to the potential shown in this first installment.

Looking forward to what comes next.

The final verdict: 7.75/10

For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

You can now download Helene Wecker's The Hidden Palace for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

In this enthralling historical epic, set in New York City and the Middle East in the years leading to World War I— the long-awaited follow-up to the acclaimed New York Times bestseller The Golem and the Jinni—Helene Wecker revisits her beloved characters Chava and Ahmad as they confront unexpected new challenges in a rapidly changing human world.

Chava is a golem, a woman made of clay, who can hear the thoughts and longings of those around her and feels compelled by her nature to help them. Ahmad is a jinni, a restless creature of fire, once free to roam the desert but now imprisoned in the shape of a man. Fearing they’ll be exposed as monsters, these magical beings hide their true selves and try to pass as human—just two more immigrants in the bustling world of 1900s Manhattan. Brought together under calamitous circumstances, their lives are now entwined—but they’re not yet certain of what they mean to each other.

Both Chava and Ahmad have changed the lives of the people around them. Park Avenue heiress Sophia Winston, whose brief encounter with Ahmad left her with a strange illness that makes her shiver with cold, travels to the Middle East to seek a cure. There she meets Dima, a tempestuous female jinni who’s been banished from her tribe. Back in New York, in a tenement on the Lower East Side, a little girl named Kreindel helps her rabbi father build a golem they name Yossele—not knowing that she’s about to be sent to an orphanage uptown, where the hulking Yossele will become her only friend and protector.

Spanning the tumultuous years from the turn of the twentieth century to the beginning of World War I, The Hidden Palace follows these lives and others as they collide and interleave. Can Chava and Ahmad find their places in the human world while remaining true to each other? Or will their opposing natures and desires eventually tear them apart—especially once they encounter, thrillingly, other beings like themselves?

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Kim Stanley Robinson's 2312 for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

Winner of the Nebula Award for Best SF Novel of the Year.

The year is 2312. Scientific and technological advances have opened gateways to an extraordinary future. Earth is no longer humanity's only home; new habitats have been created throughout the solar system on moons, planets, and in between. But in this year, 2312, a sequence of events will force humanity to confront its past, its present, and its future.

The first event takes place on Mercury, on the city of Terminator, itself a miracle of engineering on an unprecedented scale. It is an unexpected death, but one that might have been foreseen. For Swan Er Hong, it is an event that will change her life. Swan was once a woman who designed worlds. Now she will be led into a plot to destroy them.

It's So Easy and Other Lies

As much as I loved Appetite for Destruction, I was never a huge Guns N’ Roses fan like my brother. As a bass player, he was into Duff McKagan and still is to this day. Sure, there were a lot of cool songs on the Use your Illusions albums, but I likely never would have gone to see them live as headliners. Then came the the mega stadium tour that they played with Metallica. It was the heavy metal event of the century at the Olympic stadium and of course I was there. Needless to say, the Montréal riot that ensued left an extremely bad taste in my mouth.

Long story short, James Hetfied, frontman of Metallica, stepped too close to a piece of pyro going off and was injured and needed to be rushed to the hospital. Band members and a translator came on stage to make the announcement and promise that they'd return to Montréal later on. Which they did, headlining two nights at the Forum a few months later. Of course I was there and they rocked the place and had us begging for more. But I digress. With the Metallica gig cut short, 55,000 people now needed to wait for Guns N’ Roses to come on. Moody Axl Rose had already become infamous for is lateness and August 8th, 1992, was going to be a case in point. Not only did Guns N’ Roses appear nearly 3 hours following Hetfield's injury, but something was obviously annoying Axl Rose to no small degree. A few songs into the set, he threw his mic down and left the stage, leaving his bandmates a bit bewildered. They also left a few moments later and never returned. It was quite evident that things were about to get ugly, so my friends and I left in a hurry. What followed was a massive riot that is still talked about to this day. It was so bad that for years afterward non-alcoholic beer was served at venues hosting rock bands to make sure that things wouldn't spiral out of control they way they did that day at the Olympic stadium.

Interestingly enough, the Montréal riot made it into this book. What was shocking was the fact that it wasn't even close to being the worse rampage engendered by Axl Rose's antics!

I absolutely loved this book. Duff McKagan's fall from grace, his pleading the doctors at the Seattle hospital to kill him, and his long and arduous tale of redemption made for an unforgettable read. Little did we know that Guns N’ Roses was already in self-destruct mode months before the Use your Illusions albums were even completed. But as interesting as the band's demise turned out to be, it is McKagan's personal tale of what came after that was the most compelling. His candid recollections take us on a wild ride of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. And yet, it's not what stays with you once you reach the last page. Yes, McKagan was a dumbass musician who sort of got blinded by fame and fortune. But it's the story of how he pulled himself out of that hole, got clean by starting to ride an old mountain bike and then by practicing martial arts and meditation, and then got married and became a father that really made an impression on me. He was lucky to have a caring family and people who truly wanted to help him live a better life. It wasn't easy and there were some rough patches along the way, but he made it. Funny how a guy who was part of one of the most notorious rock and roll bands in history became a dorky dad who embarrasses his two daughters like any other regular father out there.

A must read for any rock and roll fan!

Here's the blurb:

In his New York Times bestseller, Duff McKagan, founding member of Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver, shares the story of his rise to fame and fortune, his struggles with alcoholism and drug addiction, his personal crash and burn, and his life-saving transformation via a unique path to sobriety.

In 1984, at the age of twenty, Duff McKagan left his native Seattle—partly to pursue music but mainly to get away from a host of heroin overdoses then decimating his closest group of friends in the local punk scene. In LA only a few weeks and still living in his car, he answered a want ad for a bass player placed by someone who identified himself only as “Slash.” Soon after, the most dangerous band in the world was born. Guns N’ Roses went on to sell more than 100 million albums worldwide.

In It’s So Easy, Duff recounts Guns’ unlikely trajectory to a string of multiplatinum albums, sold-out stadium concerts, and global acclaim. But that kind of glory can take its toll, and it did—ultimately—on Duff, as well as on the band itself. As Guns began to splinter, Duff felt that he himself was done, too. But his near death as a direct result of alcoholism proved to be his watershed, the turning point that sent him on a unique path to sobriety and the unexpected choices he has made for himself since.

In a voice that is as honest as it is indelibly his own, Duff—one of rock’s smartest and most articulate personalities—takes readers on a harrowing journey through the dark heart of one of the most notorious bands in rock-and-roll history and out the other side.

For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Robin Hobb's The Inheritance and Other Stories for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

The Inheritance and Other Stories is a marvelous new collection of short fiction from New York Times bestselling master storyteller Robin Hobb—including tales written under the pseudonym Megan Lindholm, by which the acclaimed fantasist first began her illustrious writing career. Included in this essential volume are Hugo and Nebula Award-nominated short masterworks, as well as brand new tales and the never before published in the U.S. title story—a unique compendium of wonders displaying the breathtaking skill, imagination, and remarkably varied styles of both alter egos.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now get your hands on the digital edition of Terry Brooks' Running With the Demon for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

In Running with the Demon, Terry Brooks does nothing less than revitalize fantasy fiction, inventing the complex and powerful new mythos of the Word and the Void, good versus evil still, but played out in the theater-in-the-round of the “real world” of our present.

On the hottest Fourth of July weekend in decades, two men have come to Hopewell, Illinois, site of a lengthy, bitter steel strike. One is a demon, dark servant of the Void, who will use the anger and frustration of the community to attain a terrible secret goal. The other is John Ross, a Knight of the Word, a man who, while he sleeps, lives in the hell the world will become if he fails to change its course on waking. Ross has been given the ability to see the future. But does he have the power to change it?

At stake is the soul of a fourteen-year-old girl mysteriously linked to both men. And the lives of the people of Hopewell. And the future of the country. This Fourth of July, while friends and families picnic in Sinnissippi Park and fireworks explode in celebration of freedom and independence, the fate of Humanity will be decided . . .

A novel that weaves together family drama, fading innocence, cataclysm, and enlightenment, Running with the Demon will forever change the way you think about the fantasy novel. As believable as it is imaginative, as wondrous as it is frightening, it is a rich, exquisitely-written tale to be savored long after the last page is turned.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Karen Miller's The Innocent Mage for only 1.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

"The Innocent Mage is come, and we stand at the beginning of the end of everything."

Being a fisherman like his father isn't a bad life, but it's not the one that Asher wants. Despite his humble roots, Asher has grand dreams. And they call him to Dorana, home of princes, beggars?and the warrior mages who have protected the kingdom for generations.

Little does Asher know, however, that his arrival in the city is being closely watched by members of the Circle, people dedicated to preserving an ancient magic.

Asher might have come to the city to make his fortune, but he will find his destiny.

You can also download James Islington's The Shadow of What Was Lost, first volume in the Licanius trilogy, for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale. It's supposed to be a must for fans of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time.

Here's the blurb:

It has been twenty years since the god-like Augurs were overthrown and killed. Now, those who once served them - the Gifted - are spared only because they have accepted the rebellion's Four Tenets, vastly limiting their powers.

As a Gifted, Davian suffers the consequences of a war lost before he was even born. He and others like him are despised. But when Davian discovers he wields the forbidden power of the Augurs, he sets into motion a chain of events that will change everything.

To the west, a young man whose fate is intertwined with Davian's wakes up in the forest, covered in blood and with no memory of who he is...

And in the far north, an ancient enemy long thought defeated begins to stir.

You can also download L. E. Modesitt, jr.'s Overcaptain for only 2.99$ here.

Here's the blurb:

L. E. Modesitt, Jr. continues the Saga of Recluce, the long-running, best-selling epic fantasy series. Overcaptain, the sequel to From the Forest, continues to follow the early life of a man known by many names depending on who you ask—hero, tyrant, emperor.

Alyiakal, overcaptain in the Mirror Lancers of Cyador, has completed his tour of duty as officer-in-charge of a small, remote post. He just wants to finish and see his best friend consorted and assume his next post assignment. If only it were that easy.

He discovers corruption in the Merchanter Clans of Cyador, but investigating Mirror Lancer officers end up dead. Before he can go on leave, he has to replace one of these officers, close a post, dodge an attempt on his life, and an investigation from Magi-i.

At Lhaarat, Alyiakal is assigned as a deputy commander to a post that never had one, and the commander doesn't want one—and that's just the beginning of Alyiakal’s problems.

This week's New York Times Bestsellers (March 2nd)

In hardcover:

Rebecca Yarros' Onyx Storm maintains its position at number 1. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Iron Flame maintains its position at number 2. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Heather Fawcett's Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales debuts at number 3. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing is up four spots, finishing the week at number 8. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Chloe C. Peñaranda's The Night is Defying is down one position, ending the week at number 14. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

In paperback:

Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing maintains its position at number 3. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Callie Hart's Quicksilver is up two positions, ending the week at number 6. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses is down three positions, ending the week at number 9. For more info about this title, follow this Amazon Associate link.

More inexpensive ebook goodies!

You can now download Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Bones of the Dragon for only 2.99$ by following this Amazon Associate link. This OneLink will take you to the nearest Amazon site serving your country and you'll see if you can take advantage of this sale.

Here's the blurb:

First in a series filled with Norse-like mythology and exotic adventure in a magic-forged world, from the New York Times-bestselling coauthors.

In Bones of the Dragon, Skylan Ivorson is a sea-raider of the Vindras and eventually becomes the Chief of Chiefs of all Vindras clans, an honor he truly feels he deserves as one who has been blessed by Skoval, the god of war.

But sometimes a blessing is a curse in disguise.

Skoval and the other ancient deities are under siege from a new generation of gods who are challenging them for the powers of creation . . . and the only way to stop these brash interlopers lies within the mysterious and hidden Five Bones of the Vektan Dragons.

It will be up to the Vindras people, as the dragon-goddess’s champions, to undertake the quest to recover all Five. The fate of the Old Gods and the Vindras rests on their recovery—for this is not only a quest to save the world. It is also a quest for redemption.

Welcome to the World of Dragonships!