Science Fiction and Fantasy New Releases: 23 January, 2021
Saturday , 23, January 2021 Uncategorized Leave a commentThis week’s new releases are full of dragons, knights, hit men, and…walking mushrooms?
The Caged Dragon (Cycle of Dragons #1) – Dan Michaelson and D. K. Holmberg
A young man wanting to protect his family begins an epic journey.
Life on the farm at the edge of the kingdom is anything but routine for Ashan. The plains around Berestal suffer from severe storms, making travel to the city difficult, with the threat of an attack from the people of Vard always looming. He long ago abandoned dreams of serving as a dragon rider, caring for his injured father and brother, but everything is about to change.
A Vard attack forces Ashan to risk everything to protect his sister. Doing so brings him closer to the dragons than he had ever imagined, but brings him into a war he never intended to join. Somehow, Ashan and his best friend might be the only ones able to prevent the Vard from reaching a prize they’d long sought, if only they can survive the dangers of the forest, the mysterious Djarn people, a terrifying creature chasing them, and the power of a dragon mage.
Iron Maiden – James Alderdice
Aisha has a bad reputation especially once she finds a secret map. Now everyone wants the map and her head…
Aisha wants to serve her country and atone for past sins but things never go the way they should. When she rides into the borderlands, she finds a treasure map to the legendary graveyard of dragons. She doubts it truly exists, but everyone else from bandits to invading armies and even a lusty princess want to get their hands on the map. As she unwillingly begins her quest, she’s not surprised when the blood begins to flow…
The journey will take her across a cursed landscape brimming with foul sorceries and terrible monsters. The promise of both treasure and revenge is irresistible. Surrounded by bloodthirsty enemies, can she survive and claim her reward?…
Monroe Doctrine – James Rosone and Miranda Watson
Cuba discovers a vast reserve of rare earth minerals…
Spies converge on the Caribbean…
…In the midst of the chaos, opportunity rises.
In the wake of the new Global Depression, the governments of the Caribbean and South America are in free fall—that is, until a benefactor makes them an offer they can’t refuse.
Since the 1800s, the US has held to the Monroe Doctrine, which maintains that no foreign nations will be allowed to interfere within the United States’ sphere of influence. However, with America divided and civil unrest spreading across the country, the Chinese see this as their chance.
Will China’s AI-Supercomputers outsmart the West?
Will they succeed in supplanting the United States? Is the West capable of pulling together one more time or will they go down in history as a group of failed states?
Shadowcroft Academy For Dungeons: Year One – James A. Hunter and Aaron Michael Ritchey
Wounded Army vet Logan Murray thought mimics were the stuff of board games and dungeon manuals… right up until one ate him.
In a flash of snapping teeth, Logan suddenly finds himself on the doorstep to another world. He’s been unwittingly recruited into the Shadowcroft Academy for Dungeons—the most prestigious interdimensional school dedicated to training the monstrous guardians who protect the Tree of Souls from so-called heroes. Heroes who would destroy the universe if it meant a shot at advancement.
Unfortunately, as a bottom-tier cultivator with a laughably weak core, Logan’s dungeon options aren’t exactly stellar, and he finds himself reincarnated as a lowly fungaloid, a three-foot-tall mass of spongy mushroom with fewer skills than a typical sewer rat. If he’s going to survive the grueling challenges the academy has in store, he’ll need to ace the odd assortment of classes—Fiendish Fabrication, Dungeon Feng Shui, the Ethics of Murder 101—and learn how to turn his unusual guardian form into an asset instead of a liability.
And that’s only if the gargoyle professor doesn’t demote him to a doomed wandering monster first… Read More
Sensor Sweep: Runequest, Manitou, Jack London, The Punisher
Monday , 18, January 2021 Sensor Sweep 3 Comments
Star Wars (Arkhaven Comics): The High Republic is one of Kathleen Kennedy’s pet projects. Initially it was supposed to have Disney Plus shows and perhaps movies attached but now it has YA books and comic books. It was rather interesting to watch it’s development because of all of the boasting they did about their creative process. And they really got on top the bragging rock to shout about the collection of literary geniuses that Kathleen Kennedy had assembled, to create this universe.
Games (The Wertzone): Cyberpunk 2077 has a lot of Things in it. These Things include: Sentient Waymo; a hyperactive anime girl band whose signature song could become the next “Gangnam Style” if it didn’t have a swear in the title; a soundtrack of near non-stop bangers; iguanas; cats; characters you actually want to hang out with in real life; giant holographic fish; wonderful dialogue; superb stealth; Hideo Kojima playing himself; a shotgun that sets people on fire
Authors (DMR Books): Struggle defined Jack London’s life and fiction. Born in San Francisco on this date in 1876, he was most likely illegitimate, and endured a haphazard childhood. At thirteen, he had to work twelve-hour shifts at a local cannery for ten cents an hour, a harsh introduction to human greed and exploitation. He left that unpromising career two years later to become an oyster pirate, but eventually turned his talents and experience to the other side of the law working for the California Fish Patrol. Read More
Because the Night is the second in James Ellroy’s Detective Lloyd Hopkins trilogy. The Mysterious Press hardback from December 1984, the Avon paperback from October 1986. Ellroy had read Thomas Harris’ Red Dragon (1981) and “realized it was a far superior book.” Ellroy “wanted another shot at making Sergeant Lloyd Hopkins as great a character as Thomas Harris’s Will Graham.”
The novel starts with a liquor store hold-up that goes bad when the hold-up man executes three people with an old .41 caliber black powder pistol. Lloyd Hopkins is called in on the case. At the same time, he is assigned to investigate the disappearance of an undercover cop, “Jungle Jack” Herzog. Read More
This article was originally posted on 1 March, 2020.
At over 3000 novellas and nearly 1500 novels and spin-offs, the Perry Rhodan series is the longest running science fiction serial. For fifty-nine years, these adventures have followed the eponymous American astronaut to the moon and beyond. With amazing adaptability, quick wit, and dry humor, Perry Rhodan united Earth and led humanity across the stars. Despite its international popularity, precious few of Rhodan’s adventures have been translated into English. (For a quick overview of the publishing history of Perry Rhodan, please check out both Kevyn Winkless’s introduction to the series and the comments). However, in 2015, the complete six novel Lemuria series was released in English as ebooks, representing the first new English Perry Rhodan adventures in almost twenty years.
As always, there is an asterisk to such a sweeping statement, as 2015 was the second publication of books in the Lemuria series. Ark of the Stars, by Frank Borsch, was first published in English in 2006, but those few lucky readers to purchase it would have to wait until 2015 for the rest of the story.
Published in German in 2004, Ark of the Stars leads the third set of self-contained Perry Rhodan novels published by Heyne-Verlag. While the adventure would fit snugly in between volumes #2200 and #2364, the Lemuria novels would also shed light on the ancient galactic civilization of Lemur, founded on the mythical Pacific continent of the same name. For Perry Rhodan’s Terrans are not the first wave of human settlers from Earth in the galaxy, and many of the star nations in the Milky Way trace their ancestry to the upheaval and fracturing of Lemur’s empire. Of these, the Akons and their allies have clashed repeatedly with the upstart Terrans and their claims to succeed Lemur. This fierce rivalry would define the galactic history of the “Perryverse” for over 2200 years–and beyond. Read More
Science Fiction and Fantasy New Releases: 16 January, 2021
Saturday , 16, January 2021 Uncategorized 1 CommentWar gods, dragons, giant robots, and far-future gunslingers fill this week’s new releases.
Dragon Mage (Rivenworld #1) – M. L. Spencer
Aram Raythe has the power to challenge the gods. He just doesn’t know it yet.
Aram thinks he’s nothing but a misfit from a small fishing village in a dark corner of the world. As far as Aram knows, he has nothing, with hardly a possession to his name other than a desire to make friends and be accepted by those around him, which is something he’s never known. But Aram is more.
Much, much more.
Unknown to him, Aram bears within him a gift so old and rare that many people would kill him for it, and there are others who would twist him to use for their own sinister purposes. These magics are so potent that Aram earns a place at an academy for warrior mages training to earn for themselves the greatest place of honor among the armies of men: dragon riders.
Aram will have to fight for respect by becoming not just a dragon rider, but a Champion, the caliber of mage that hasn’t existed in the world for hundreds of years. And the land needs a Champion. Because when a dark god out of ancient myth arises to threaten the world of magic, it is Aram the world will turn to in its hour of need.
Eternal Core (School of Swords and Serpents #6) – Gage Lee
The end of Jace’s quest is at hand, but so is the end of the mortal world.
Since earning his way into the School of Swords and Serpents, Jace has gained allies, thwarted enemies, and set out to save reality from unraveling. With the end of the Flame’s mission in sight, Jace is ready to relax and enjoy his last few years at the School.
But things are not as simple as they appear.
Jace has lost a year of his life. His most trusted friends have scattered to the ends of the Earth. And the enemy that pushed him down the Eclipse Warrior’s path is back with a vengeance.
With the odds stacked against him, Jace soon learns that he has only one chance to save the Grand Design and restore order to the world. He’ll have to push himself to the final level of advancement and become the Eternal Core.
Even if it kills him.
The Heaven’s Boxer (Overdrive #1) – R. H. Tang
Who wouldn’t want to pilot giant robots for a living?
The Overdrive Corporation has announced another Selection, the exclusive tryout process for aspiring Fortress Masters. Designing maps for the Mech battling virtual reality RPG is Julian’s dream come true, but a brutal defeat against superstar sniper called Dynamic has destroyed his confidence.
Hoping to find a stronger machine, Julian enters an immensely challenging map that promises ultra-rare Mech frames.
During the ill-fated mission, he finally learns what it takes to get better. It’s not the strength of the machine that matters most, it’s the skill of the pilot.
Julian rebuilds his gameplay from the ground up, seeking out the strongest opponents and the most challenging dungeons. He explores the countless aspects of Overdrive that he’s inadvertently ignored.
Waiting for him is a rematch with the sniper he’s never beaten, with a spot in the Selection on the line. Read More
We are extremely pleased to announce the publishing alliance between Arkhaven Comics and Brazil’s SuperPrumo Comics. SuperPrumo is the publisher of great action comics such as The Awakener, The Grey Claw, and Hecatomb, among others, all of which are being translated into English and will be published by Arkhaven in 2021.
Arkhaven’s comics, including Alt-Hero, Chuck Dixon’s Avalon, Alt-Hero: Q, Midnight’s War, and others, will be translated into Portuguese and published by SuperPrumo in 2021.
Sensor Sweep: MERP, Bran Mak Morn, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ramsey Campbell
Monday , 11, January 2021 Sensor Sweep 2 CommentsAuthors (CBC): The man was buried in June. Staff from the graveyard stood respectfully at his grave on a little hill near a forest. His coffin was covered in earth. A small numbered plaque on the ground recorded his grave’s location. But his name was not marked on the grave. The man’s name was Charles R. Saunders. In an extraordinary twist of fate, an author whose fiction was celebrated by legions of fans across North America, had died unknown and been buried in an unmarked grave.
Fiction (Goodman Games): Bran Mak Morn emerges out of Howard’s fascination with the Picts – but not the Picts of modern, sober archaeology – rather the Picts of turn-of-the-century pseudo-scientific conjectural anthropology, the sort of thing that was available for a young Howard to read. But that, believe it or not, is a good thing: for the Picts that captured Howard’s imagination are a mysterious people with a strange past rooted in lost continents, trans-world migrations, and civilizations long vanished.
Fiction (Jon Mollison): I’ve taken a turn toward looking into the subject from which my early literary teachers tried so hard and yet to subtly to steer me away. Part of this arises from an October desire to read more pre-1940’s horror, which naturally leads to works such as Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1820) and Rip Van Winkle (1819). The quality of writing in those works – and to be fair, these were also required reading in the 1980s – impressed me enough as an adult to seek out additional fare. Read More
I have looked at three of four novel by Marvin Albert writing as “Ian MacAlister:” Skylark Mission, Strike Force 7, and Valley of the Assassins. I had some luck at the end of summer finding the last, Driscoll’s Diamonds. I have been enthusiastic about Albert’s novels. Some consider Driscoll’s Diamonds the best of the lot. This was the second novel as Ian MacAlister. Gold Medal published the novel in November 1973.
A man is found on the south coast of the Sinai Peninsula, more dead than alive. An Israeli patrol finds him, where he is taken to a field hospital and nursed back from death. The man is John Driscoll, former U.S. Army, a free-lance mercenary the past part of a decade. The Mossad knows him from training native troops in Uganda and Ethiopia. Read More
Science Fiction and Fantasy New Releases: 09 January, 2021
Saturday , 9, January 2021 Uncategorized Leave a commentThis week, the Ozarks become Ground Zero for a fantasy invasion, King Arthur is found in space, and the World Wrecker and Henry Kuttner’s Elak return.
The Avenger from Atlantis – Edmond Hamilton
Action, excitement, wonder—three elements that are sorely lacking from most of today’s science fiction. But that wasn’t always the case! Edmond Hamilton, one of the greats from the Golden Age of SF, knew how to deliver the thrills that sci-fi readers looked for. This collection contains some of his finest and least-reprinted sci-fi adventure stories. If concepts such as fighting men of disparate ages uniting against alien tyrants, Atlantean scientists attempting immortality, or a civilization inside an active volcano sound more appealing than stories about gadgets, gizmos and eggheads, then this is the science fiction book for you!
Stories included:
“The Six Sleepers”
“The Fire Creatures”
“The Avenger from Atlantis”
“Child of Atlantis”
“Comrades of Time”
“Armies from the Past”
“Dreamer’s Worlds”
“The Shadow Folk”
Black Dawn (Fae Nexus #1) – Nathan Amaye
Gage came home to the Ozarks to mend fences with the friends he’d left behind. But when a solar storm reconnects Earth to the Fae Nexus, the world is engulfed in magical energy, altering the laws of nature… violently. Fuel, ammunition, and electronics explode, leaving the world in a dark apocalypse.
As the flames die down, demons emerge through the Fae Nexus, swarming Gage’s hometown and enslaving the survivors.
To fight back, Gage and his reunited friends harness Fae powers, becoming the Wizard, Ranger, and Fighter they’ve always played in their favorite roleplaying game.
With the help of a pair of moonshiners turned Alchemists and the ghost of a long-dead gunslinger, Gage and his friends have to level up fast to free their families and defend their home against the demonic horde.
He may have walked away once, but this time the only thing Gage is leaving behind are his regrets and a pile of dead demons.
Dragon Heart: Land of Pain – Kirill Klevanski
His name is Hadjar Darkhan, and he still follows the call of his dragon heart.
The War Games ended a few months ago, and the various generals of Darnassus, led by the Emperor, realized that just the disciples of the best martial arts Schools and even the smaller, lesser schools wouldn’t be able to strengthen the Darnassian Army enough to prepare it for what was coming. A war was on the horizon, and every weapon would matter, so losing even the most inexperienced warriors was an unthinkable prospect.
The Empire had never prepared for battle on such a massive scale before. They’d gathered tens of thousands of Spirit Knights and hundreds of thousands of Heaven Soldiers in just a short time. But would that be enough to combat the countless hordes of the enemy? Or were these just the death throes of a once vast Empire?
Hadjar, whether he wanted to or not, would be part of this upcoming war. Moreover, his role might end up being far more significant than he’d originally assumed.
Before a decisive battle begins, he must plunge into a maelstrom of war preparations, which doesn’t bode well for him…
Elak, King of Atlantis – Adrian Cole
Henry Kuttner’s classic sword-and-sorcery pulp hero returns in new tales from British Fantasy Award-winning author Adrian Cole.
Unlike Robert E. Howard’s barbarous Conan, Elak’s royal blood destines him for a life spent among courtiers, courtesans, and castles. But Elak spurns his nobility, preferring the dangers of the road to the dainties of the palace. In league with his comrades, the drunken thief Lycon and the druid Dalan, Elak turns his blade against vile sorcery, brutish creatures, and mighty warriors.
Adrian Cole reincarnates Elak with five meaty tales of sword-and-sorcery:
- Blood of the Moon
- Witch Queen of Doom Island
- Revenge of the Sorcerer
- Spawn of the Sea God
- Sky Warriors of Atlantis
Whether you’re new to Elak or have thrilled to Henry Kuttner’s original stories, you’ll feel the locomotive rush of classic sword-and-sorcery in the hands of a modern master. Read More
Sensor Sweep: War Duke, Thongor, At the Mountains of Madness, Middle Earth RPG
Monday , 4, January 2021 Sensor Sweep 5 CommentsBook Review (Ken Lizzi): So, here it is, the final Swords Against Darkness installment. #V. Sad. I wish Andrew Offutt had produced more. But how about that cover? I think it is terrific. There is an advertisement just inside the book for a series called Ro-Lan by Mike Sirota. Anyone read those? Any good? Andrew Offutt’s introduction states that he overbought — paying out of his own pocket, and this volume might be a gamble due to the number of neophyte contributors.
Myth (Myth bank): King Arthur’s greatest enemy was not a Saxon leader. After all, Arthur defeated the Saxons. Rather, his greatest enemy was the person who actually caused the downfall of his kingdom – Mordred. Let’s find out who this Mordred was, what he did, and what we can say about him historically.
Authors (Winter is Coming): Kingkiller Chronicle author Patrick Rothfuss can’t get into The Wheel of Time, praises George R.R. Martin but not his imitators, and HATES The Witcher. Patrick Rothfuss is the author of The Kingkiller Chronicle, the popular fantasy book series currently consisting of The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear, with the third and final novel (hopefully) coming along soon. Read More
Remember the Cold War? The potential for missile exchange with nuclear bomb tipped ICBMs, the Soviet Army blasting its way through the Fulda Gap, a dozen brush wars in the Third World? There was a time when the greater perceived threat was from People’s Republic of China and not the Soviet Union. The Cultural Revolution was on and going to be exported. Mao’s view of revolution was more in line with Trotsky’s original vision for class war.
The Chi-coms were supplying much of the small arms to insurgencies in South-East Asia and Africa. That SKS rifle wielded by a guerrilla was more likely manufactured in the PRC than the USSR.
There is a movie from the 60s, Battle Beneath the Earth from 1967 that has the Chi-coms as the main threat. It captures the angst of the period. Read More
Quick Reviews: Path to Villainy and Bob’s Saucer Repair
Saturday , 2, January 2021 Uncategorized Leave a commentToday, we flip open Path to Villainy, by S. L. Rowland, and Bob’s Saucer Repair, by Jerry Boyd.
Witt was an NPC kobold in a not-quite Dungeons and Dragons game world. Each day was the same. Wake up, serve the local adventurers, dodge all the kicks coming his way, and forget it all before the next day. But today was different. Today, Witt remembered the countless tortures dealt to him and his friends. Today, Witt swore revenge. Today, Witt starts down the path to villainy.
Path of Villainy is what it says it is, the fall of Witt from the admirable goals of fighting against murderhobo adventurers and elevating kobolds from their low station into the naked chase for power. It’s surprising that Path of Villainy plays the fall so straight. You won’t find the usual tropes of misunderstood or unloved villains. Instead, evil’s allure is subtle, but utterly destructive. Freedom for his people turns into servitude to dragons. Friends and family are sacrificed to machinations and dragons. The sympathetic becomes monstrous. All for just a little more power. But while Witt’s fall is complete, Path of Villainy remains fairly light-hearted and refuses to indulge in the cruelty that so often characterizes fantasy revenge tales.
When a flying sauce crashes into a Missouri barn, Bob finds two challenges before him. One, how to fix the hole in the saucer’s radiator, and, two, how to keep the humanoid stunner now known as Nikki around longer. After examining Bob’s handiwork with a welder and in converting Earth machinery into alien plumbing, Nikki has an idea: Bob’s Saucer Repair. And as the owner of the sole authorized one-stop saucer repair and alien medical station in the Solar System, Bob sees it all. Alien grad students, space pirates, nosy interstellar reporters, and even time-travelling lawmen. All are helped on their way with a little Ozark ingenuity and bowl of piping hot chili.
With a name like Bob’s Saucer Repair, I expected a silly redneck version of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. What I got instead was a banter-heavy can-do Mr. Fixit story that plays the idea of a redneck saucer repair shop seriously. The result is something very much like The Lawdog Files, but more Ozarks than Texas. The banter is clever and natural, but does get a bit thick and repetitive. Also, the dialogue pushes the story forward instead of narration or exposition. Imagine your crazy uncle telling stories at the supper table while his hot alien wife is driving the family flying saucer to the grocery store for dessert. And as ridiculous as it might get, Bob’s Saucer Repair is utterly sincere in playing the story straight, without the thick meta-storytelling or irony of contemporary humorous science fiction. All in all, Bob’s Saucer Repair is a cute read, and a nice change from the acres of milSF campaigns and gamer fantasies.