Dark Immolation - Christopher Husberg

There are rumours in Ashta - a new religion is rising, and Cinzia, the one-time Cantic priestess, has escaped the Holy Crucible. Fleeing from Navone, Cinzia travels with Knot, a man of many parts, and Astrid, the child-like vampire. They are gathering followers, but the murderous Nazaniin are still on their trail. 

Meanwhile, Winter is losing her grip on sanity, grappling with immense powers beyond her understanding. Where she goes, chaos and death follow.

I'm so glad I got to read the first two books of the Chaos Queen series together as it made a for a great reading experience. I'm not quite sure how patient I can be for the third installment but I'll have to be!

Our merry band of travelers are still traveling, but not together and definitely not merrily. There are storm clouds on the horizon and whether everyone left after the shocking events of Duskfall will still be alive by the end, remains to be seen. Believing Knot to be dead Winter enters into the service of the new Emperor, devastated by what she did and thinking herself doomed, not caring whether she lives or dies. The so-called Emperor Daval, possessed by Azael, continues his plans for world domination and drags his youngest daughter into his scheming.

At the same time, Knot's memories or sifts as they are known are becoming more unstable. Uncontrollable in some guises, such as Lathe, Astrid the child vampire is the only one who can contain him while the Prophetess, Jane, brings him back. The new (old) religion of Canta is gathering steam but also beleaguered by assassins, betrayed at nearly every turn with Cinzia still struggling with both her faith and the knowledge that her sister may have more contact with her Goddess than she does.

In Dark Immolation the world Christopher Husberg expands and we learn more about Canta, about psimancy and the incredible powers that these talented people have, and we spend more time in the Void with some characters, including one who everybody assumed was dead. Astrid goes on a journey to try and help Knot but by doing so places herself in great danger, with her past coming back to haunt her. There are daemons on the loose and you never quite know who is firmly on the side of good or evil.

The characters are, in my opinion, the best thing about Dark Immolation (and Duskfall, the first book). It's great to see the relationships developing between the various characters and although there are a lot of them, you never feel overwhelmed by the different points of view. There's some pretty great world-building in these books, with strong writing, well-developed characters, and a truly fascinating setting. I can't wait to read Blood Requiem, the third installment, but I'm not looking forward to the long wait until some time in 2018...

If you're a fan of George R. R. Martin or Robin Hobb then the Chaos Queen books are definitely worth investing in. Huge thanks to Titan for sending me a copy of Dark Immolation and for letting me take part in the blog tour. Check out the other stops for excerpts and reviews!

Dark Immolation (Chaos Queen #2) - Christopher Husberg

ISBN - 9781783299171

Publisher - Titan Books 

Release date - June 20th, 2017

Find - Goodreads | Book Depository

Book Haul #131 - January 2017

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly event hosted on Tynga's Reviews where we can share what new books we've picked up this past week be they bought, borrowed or downloaded. There are also lots of other 'book haul' memes out there for you to choose from!

Well... Apparently I haven't done a book haul post since August 2016! I certainly don't intend to show all the books I've had since then so I'm starting afresh and this is what I've received this month. In a vain effort to cut down on my book buying I'm doing the #ShelfLove challenge this year which means reading more of my own books and cutting down on the books I buy. I'll do my first wrap-up post for this on Tuesday which includes the rule of reading at least 15 of my own books a month. If I do this I'm allowed to buy no more than 3 new books a month. I figure doing it like this I won't get the urge to buy too many, plus I have my regular library book delivery every month to keep me going. Books bought will be in that post!

Physical Review Copies

Girls On Fire - Robin Wasserman

Wintersong - S Jae-Jones

The Witch's Tears - Elizabeth & Katharine Corr

With Fate Conspire - Marie Brennan

Digital Review Copies

The Black Witch - Laurie Forest

The Breakdown - B A Paris

Fir - Sharon Gosling

The Last Act Of Hattie Hoffman - Mindy Mejia

The Turn - Kim Harrison

Written In Bones - James Oswald

Waiting On Wednesday #176 - Hekla's Children

Waiting On Wednesday, where we put the spotlight on upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating, is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

This week's choice is -

Hekla's Children - James Brogden 

ISBN - 9781785654381

Publisher - Titan Books

Release date - March 7th, 2017

Find - Goodreads | Book Depository

A decade ago, teacher Nathan Brookes saw four of his students walk up a hill and vanish. Only one returned – Olivia – starved, terrified, and with no memory of where she’d been. After a body is found in the same woodland where they disappeared, it is first believed to be one of the missing children but is soon identified as a Bronze Age warrior, nothing more than an archaeological curiosity. Yet Nathan starts to have terrifying visions of the students. Then Olivia reappears, half-mad and willing to go to any lengths to return the corpse to the earth. For he is the only thing keeping a terrible evil at bay...

I keep thinking I've read this but I'm certain I'm confusing this with something else entirely, and whatever it is was YA and quite some time ago too. It sounds really familiar but it also sounds quite deliciously creepy so definitely one for the wishlist!

Waiting On Wednesday #175 - Wintersong

Waiting On Wednesday, where we put the spotlight on upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating, is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

This week's choice is -

Wintersong - S. Jae-Jones

ISBN - 9781785655449

Publisher - Titan

Release date - February 7th, 2017

Find - Goodreads 

Beware the goblin men and the wares they sell.

All her life, nineteen-year-old Liesl has heard tales of the beautiful, mysterious Goblin King. He is the Lord of Mischief, the Ruler Underground, and the muse around which her music is composed. Yet, as Liesl helps shoulder the burden of running her family’s inn, her dreams of composition and childish fancies about the Goblin King must be set aside in favor of more practical concerns.

But when her sister Käthe is taken by the goblins, Liesl journeys to their realm to rescue her sister and return her to the world above. The Goblin King agrees to let Käthe go - for a price. The life of a maiden must be given to the land, in accordance with the old laws. A life for a life, he says. Without sacrifice, nothing good can grow. Without death, there can be no rebirth. In exchange for her sister’s freedom, Liesl offers her hand in marriage to the Goblin King. He accepts.

Down in the Underground, Liesl discovers that the Goblin King still inspires her - musically, physically, emotionally. Yet even as her talent blossoms, Liesl’s life is slowly fading away, the price she paid for becoming the Goblin King’s bride. As the two of them grow closer, they must learn just what it is they are each willing to sacrifice: her life, her music, or the end of the world.

One word about this book! Labyrinth... I've been so impatient to read this book since I first heard about it and thankfully Titan are publishing it here in the UK. Even better? It's not that long a wait.

Giveaway & Excerpt - The Wraiths Of War by Mark Morris

First and foremost, I'm going to admit my love of some of Mark's earlier work! I remember reading Toady, his first book, way back when, absolutely loving it and recommending it to anyone regardless of whether they enjoyed horror novels. Since then I've dipped in and out of his books whenever I've realised that he's released something new. Imagine my pleasure when I found out he was writing a new trilogy for one of my favorite publishers, the last of which was published by Titan on October 14th. To celebrate you lucky folks get to read a sneaky excerpt from the final book, The Wraiths Of War, and if you like it there's a chance to win a copy of The Wolves Of London (book #1 in the trilogy) down at the bottom! My review of The Wolves of London will be up on Thursday as part of my R.I.P. reading and make sure to check out the rest of the tour!


If you're not a horror/dark fantasy fan then maybe skip over the gory bits below!

The Wraiths Of War (Obsidian Heart #3) 

As if Fate were mocking me, the Germans chose that very moment to start firing. I made myself as flat as possible, closing my eyes as my cheek smacked into the mud. At first I assumed the shots were nothing but routine - now and again in the dead of night, those on sentry duty, whether on our side or theirs, let off a volley just to prove they were doing their duty, and to let the enemy know they were still around and alert - but when bullets started splatting into the mud somewhere to my left, I realised I must have been spotted. Perilous though it was to move, I knew it was more perilous still to just lie there, because sooner or later I would be hit.

Trying to still the frantic terror of my thoughts, I lifted my head a fraction and looked around, searching for a place to hide or something I could use as cover. Perhaps ten yards ahead of me I spotted what looked like a shell crater - a black depression in the ground rimmed by a ridge of earth where the mud had been forced upwards by the impact. I waited for the initial burst of gunfire to subside, knowing there would be a slight pause between one volley and the next, and then, my ears throbbing, I scrambled up into a semi-crouch, ran forward and dived into the shell crater.

Although I didn't have much choice, I was all too aware that throwing myself into an unknown hole in No Man's Land was a move born of utter desperation. Full of future technology I might have been, byt I knew that if I landed on the jagged remains of a shell and slashed my belly open, then no amount of nanites could repair me. I knew too that if the hole were more than, say six feet deep and full of thick, muddy water then the likelihood was I would be sucked under and drown.

Luckily, though, the hole turned out to be only four or five feet deep added to which I had a soft landing. Not so luckily, the soft landing was a dead and rotting German soldier. How long he had been there I had no idea, but he stank to high Heaven and was crawling with maggots. He was lying on his back, his head - what was left of it - partially submerged in a pool of black water.

I landed across his midriff, part of which promptly broke with a gristly snap. Worse than that though, was the feel of his flesh through his uniform. Decomposition had caused slippage, which meant that the violent pressure of my body resulted in the flesh, which had become soft like old bananas, sliding away from the bone beneath. In my revulsion, I unthinkingly put my left hand on his chest to lever myself up and away from him - whereupon his rib cage cracked like a lattice of dry sticks and my hand plunged into a cold, stinking pulp of rotting internal organs.

I clapped my free hand, which was caked in mud but not guts, over the bottom half of my face to stop myself from screaming. Not that it was likely the enemy would have heard me. Above my head, loud enough to make the bones of my skull ach, the Germans were still blazing away. Ordinarily I would have covered my ringing ears and kept my head down until it was all over, but in the circumstances the gunfire seemed oddly divorced from me. Gagging, I withdrew my hand from the dead German's innards with a slurping plop, then plunged it into the pool of muddy water between his booted feet.

The next few minutes were spent heaving and shuddering with reaction. I couldn't tell whether the appalling stench that seemed to have wrapped itself round my head like a warm, damp towel, was coming from the dead German or my own hand. Certainly the thought of using that gut-smeared hand to eat, or even scratch myself, in the immediate future made me gaf anew. As did the sight of the fat white maggots wriggling with glee over the dead man's body, some of which I had to brush off my own clothes, such was their eagerness to make friends.

About The Author

 Mark Morris became a full-time writer in 1988 on the Enterprise Allowance Scheme, and a year later saw the release of his first novel, Toady. He has since published a further sixteen novels, among which are Stitch, The Immaculate, The Secret of Anatomy, Fiddleback, The Deluge and four books in the popular Doctor Who range.

Website | Twitter

Giveaway

If you live in the UK, Ireland and Europe you can have a chance to win a copy of The Wolves Of London, the first book in the trilogy, simply by leaving a Twitter handle or email address in the coments! 

 

Writing: Top Tips & When To Ignore Them - Mark Latham

 

Top Tips (and When to Ignore Them)

Mark A Latham

When you’re an aspiring writer, everyone wants to give you advice. And because you’re aspiring, you soak it up like a sponge (or, at least, you probably should). The problem is that when I say everyone, I mean everyone. No matter what level of writing success a writer has or hasn’t achieved, or whether they’ve even published anything beyond that self-help book gathering dust on a Waterstones shelf, they’re still ready to throw advice at newbies. The old chestnuts are there – Find your voice! Show, don’t tell! Think about POV! Don’t use too many exclamation marks! (Cough).

However, when you actually get down to the nuts and bolts of writing and start to get your work out there for public consumption, you’ll often realise that large swathes of the advice you were offered were simply… irrelevant. I certainly did. Sometimes, by trying to obey the rules, you end up hamstringing yourself, rather than find your own path. Only by failing, do we learn, young padawan. (Cough, again).

So I’m not going to offer you any advice in this blog. Well, I am, but not like that. No, I’m simply going to pass on the best bits of advice I ever received – things that I actually think on regularly, and that have stuck with me.

Never Compromise! 

 

This is a recent piece of advice I heard from SF author Rob Boffard, which is similar – but not quite the same – as Stephen King’s famous quote ‘first write for yourself, then the audience’. What he’s saying is, if you love writing a certain way (in his case, rip-roaring, fast-paced actioners; in my case, atmospheric and macabre stories), don’t change because people don’t like your style. He’s not saying ‘never listen to criticism’. He’s saying ‘find the audience that loves the style you write in, and write for them’. People telling Rob to write some slow, atmospheric scenes is like people telling me to write a happy ending full of rainbows and ponies. Ain’t gonna happen.

Never Respond to Negative Reviews

 

I’ve heard this many times, and boy is it true! Learn from them. Shout at them. Get mad. Get upset. Or just ignore them… whatever. Bad reviews are part of life. Some of them will come about because you genuinely messed up, and that mistake was unforgivable to a particular reviewer. Some will be because the reviewer just doesn’t get what you’re about, or missed some nuance in the story that other readers were okay with. It doesn’t matter. If you are in any doubt as to whether or not you should ever respond to criticism on the internet, just Google Stephan J Harper, read the tale of woe that follows, and think again!

Listen to your Editor

 

Hmm, turns out this gem actually is mine. So I lied, I am going to give you advice. A good editor is everything to a good book. Well, not everything – you have to write the damn thing first. But a good editor will help you make it shine. What do I mean by ‘good’ editor? One who works with you in a two-way process. One who has a clear understanding of your vision, a clear vision themselves of how the book will be positioned in the marketplace, and who the target audience is. Only then can they truly advise and guide you. And the process can be painful – you might decide to ignore some of their advice, or find a different solution than the one they suggest, but do so as part of an open and collaborative process, rather than from a position of defensiveness, and the book will be better for it.

And finally, one from Stephen King himself:

Writing is about getting happy. 

 

‘Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid or making friends. Writing is magic, as much as the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink.’ I’m reminded of this every time I whinge about how hard my day has been, when the words won’t come on the page, or I feel like I’ve done a lousy job. Draw a line under it, and remember you’re doing the thing you love. It should make you happy, even when it seems like the hardest thing in the world. So go to bed, and get back at it the next morning, thinking happy thoughts!

 
Mark A. Latham is a writer, editor, history nerd, frustrated grunge singer and amateur baker from Staffordshire, UK. A recent immigrant to Nottingham, he lives in a very old house (sadly not haunted), and is still regarded as a foreigner.

Formerly the editor of White Dwarf magazine, Mark dabbled in tabletop games design before becoming a full-time author. A writer of strange, fantastical and macabre tales, his short stories have been published by Titan Books and Black Library Publishing. Revelling in the moniker ‘the Lost Victorian’, Mark’s research into nineteenth-century life has become something of an obsession, which he salves by writing on the subject for far longer than can be considered healthy.

Goodreads | Website | Twitter

Waiting On Wednesday #168 - Within The Sanctuary Of Wings

Waiting On Wednesday, where we put the spotlight on upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating, is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

This week's choice is -

Within The Sanctuary Of Wings - Marie Brennan

ISBN - 9780765377654

Publisher - Tor

Release date - April 25 2017

Find - Goodreads | Book Depository

The conclusion to the thrilling memoirs of Lady Isabella Trent and her legacy of dragon evolutionary research and anthropological adventures.

After nearly five decades (and, indeed, the same number of volumes), one might think they were well-acquainted with the Lady Isabella Trent - dragon naturalist, scandalous explorer, and perhaps as infamous for her company and feats of daring as she is famous for her discoveries and additions to the scientific field.

And yet - after her initial adventure in the mountains of Vystrana, and her exploits in the depths of war-torn Eriga, to the high seas aboard The Basilisk, and then to the inhospitable deserts of Akhia - the Lady Trent has captivated hearts along with fierce minds. This concluding volume will finally reveal the truths behind her most notorious adventure - scaling the tallest peak in the world, buried behind the territory of Scirland's enemies - and what she discovered there, within the Sanctuary of Wings.

Le sigh... On one hand I can't wait to read this, because it's Lady Trent & Marie Brennan and on the other I really don't want it to come round too soon as it's the final chapter of Lady Trent's memoirs. I know there will be more books by Marie Brennan but I really fell in love with Lady Trent and the dragons!

Book Haul #122, Or The One Where I Gave In And Bought Books...

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly event hosted on Tynga's Reviews where we can share what new books we've picked up this past week be they bought, borrowed or downloaded. There are also lots of other 'book haul' memes out there for you to choose from!

So yes, as you may have gathered I finally caved and bought books but in my defence it was a bargain too good to refuse... Excuses, excuses but as I'm attempting to work my way through all of Agatha Christie's books it had to be done. I got all five of the Tommy & Tuppence books for less than $10/£7! It was school vacation here and the twins turned six, we made a cake for them again this year and I think it turned out pretty well! They certainly enjoyed it anyway...

Netgalley

Flawed - Cecelia Ahern

Heir To The Sky - Amanda Sun

Serafina & The Black Cloak - Robert Beatty

The Madwoman Upstairs - Catherine Lowell

No One Knows - J T Ellison

The Sudden Appearance Of Hope - Claire North

From Titan

A Gathering Of Shadows

Nod

Bought

The Secret Adversary

Partners In Crime

N Or M?

By The Pricking Of My Thumbs

Postern Of Fate

Book Haul #121, Or The One I Celebrate Not Buying Books...

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly event hosted on Tynga's Reviews where we can share what new books we've picked up this past week be they bought, borrowed or downloaded. There are also lots of other 'book haul' memes out there for you to choose from!

Halfway through February already! I don't know where the time is going but that does mean I've gone 7 weeks without buying a book and I still can't quite believe it! I decided to celebrate by requesting some fantastic review books so I still had something shiny and new but I didn't hand over any cash. I cheekily requested City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong and got approved so looking forward to reading that soon. Here's what else I got over the last 2 weeks.

For Review

Waiting On Wednesday #148 - Warlock Holmes

Waiting On Wednesday, where we put the spotlight on upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating, is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

This week's choice is -

Warlock Holmes: A Study In Brimstone - G S Denning

ISBN - 9781783299713

Publisher - Titan

Release date - May 17 2016

Find - Goodreads | Book Depository

Sherlock Holmes is an unparalleled genius who uses the gift of deduction and reason to solve the most vexing of crimes.

Warlock Holmes, however, is an idiot. A good man, perhaps; a font of arcane power, certainly. But he’s brilliantly dim. Frankly, he couldn’t deduce his way out of a paper bag. The only thing he has really got going for him are the might of a thousand demons and his stalwart flatmate. Thankfully, Dr. Watson is always there to aid him through the treacherous shoals of Victorian propriety… and save him from a gruesome death every now and again.

An imaginative, irreverent and addictive reimagining of the world’s favourite detective, Warlock Holmes retains the charm, tone and feel of the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle while finally giving the flat at 221b Baker Street what it’s been missing for all these years: an alchemy table.

Reimagining six stories, this riotous mash-up is a glorious new take on the ever-popular Sherlock Holmes myth, featuring the vampire Inspector Vladislav Lestrade, the ogre Inspector Torg Grogsson, and Dr. Watson, the true detective at 221b. And Sherlock. A warlock.

I love Sherlock Holmes, a lot. Titan also loves Sherlock, they do a vast array of reimaginings and so on and this is the latest offering. Except it's not Sherlock Holmes this time, it's Warlock Holmes and the great detective is an idiot... I'm intrigued to see what six stories they've chosen and I can't wait to meet the vampire Inspector Lestrade!

Bookmarked... #13

The return of the (mostly) weekly post letting you all know what I'm reading and have lined up for the week! It's my own version of Sheila at Book Journey's It's Monday What Are You Reading (now hosted by Kathryn at Book Date) and I have her permission to rename it for my own nefarious reasons...

Another couple of weeks of good reading! I've read some outstanding books so far this year, in fact I think I don't think I've ever had this many highly rated books in one month for a long time.Let's hope it continues!  As ever here's what I have finished since last time and what I've started, sticking with not showing what's up next as I'm finding it easier to pick things at random, for now...

Finished

Currently Reading

Book Haul #118, Or I Never Realized How Much I Used My Kindle Fire...

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly event hosted on Tynga's Reviews where we can share what new books we've picked up this past week be they bought, borrowed or downloaded. There are also lots of other 'book haul' memes out there for you to choose from!

I still don't have my new Kindle Fire... I can see it in my orders on Amazon, it's just sitting there saying 'not yet dispatched' and 'expected delivery by January 12 to January 18'. It's now January 16 so unless a miracle happens, on a Sunday too, it won't be here by the 18th. Not having it is such a pain though as I have discovered I used it for just about everything whenever I was away from home. There's no quick blog posting, no game playing, no watching a movie on the train, nothing. Maybe next weekend I'll have something to show!

I was feeling very pleased with myself last weekend when I was doing my book haul post and thinking well done you for only buying two books up to the end of 2015. And then the last of my medicated haze ordering turned up from Book Depository... Ooops? It was only another two books so I don't think four is too high a number really. I'm doing well on the no book buying front though. I have bought nothing at all in 2016 and I've requested one title on Netgalley this week!

Bought

I already own 3 different copies of The Bloody Chamber but I couldn't resist this Penguin Deluxe version with an introduction by Kelly Link. I definitely need to reread this book soon!

My Neighbor Totoro is one of my favorite Miyazaki movies and I've wanted to get this for a while.

For Review

Huge thanks to Titan for sending me a copy of Charlie Jane Anders's debut novel. I've been waiting to read this for a long time and I featured it as a WoW pick in April last year!

I actually got this last week but completely forgot that I'd been approved for it. This was another WoW pick in 2015.

Waiting On Wednesday #145 - New Pompeii

Waiting On Wednesday, where we put the spotlight on upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating, is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

This week's choice is -

New Pompeii - Daniel Godfrey

ISBN - 9781783298112

Publisher - Titan

Release date - June 21 2016

Find - Goodreads |  Book Depository

Some time in the near future, energy giant NovusPart develops technology with an unexpected side-effect: it can transport objects and people from deep in the past to the present day.

For post-grad historian Nick Houghton, the controversy surrounding the programme matters less than the opportunity the company offers him. NovusPart’s executives reveal their biggest secret: they have saved most of the people from Pompeii, minutes before the volcanic eruption. Somewhere in central Asia, far from prying eyes, the company has built a replica of the city. In it are thousands of real Romans. And Nick has been chosen to study them.

But Nick soon realises that NovusPart are underestimating their captives. The Romans may be ignorant of modern technology – for now – but city boss Manius Barbatus wasn’t appointed by the emperor because he was soft. The stage is set for the ultimate clash of cultures in which time itself is a weapon…

Love the sound of New Pompeii so had to share! Titan are publishing some amazing books this year and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy! 

Book Haul #117, Or How To Survive The Holidays...

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly event hosted on Tynga's Reviews where we can share what new books we've picked up this past week be they bought, borrowed or downloaded. There are also lots of other 'book haul' memes out there for you to choose from!

Welcome to 2016!!! I'm so glad that the holidays are done & dusted, I don't think I stopped to do much of anything until this week and the insane amount of work I need to catch up on is not funny at all. Not having my Kindle Fire tablet is really impinging on my reading and requesting. I can't download anything from Edelweiss and a couple of titles I was approved for on Netgalley have already been archived because of fail... My new one is meant to arrive any time between January 12 and 18 so I'm counting down the days! Strangely enough I haven't compensated for this by rushing out and buying lots of physical copies of books instead.

Bought

Review Books

Book Haul #116, Or How To Get Over A Life Slump...

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly event hosted on Tynga's Reviews where we can share what new books we've picked up this past week be they bought, borrowed or downloaded. There are also lots of other 'book haul' memes out there for you to choose from!

So... Hi! My name's Fi and I'm a very bad blogger. Actually I've been bad at everything recently and rather than write the same thing all over again see here for my heartfelt apology about being MIA. Moving on to the book side of things it would seem not having the energy or patience to do anything extends to buying books and, to a lesser extent, requesting review books! I have only bought three books since my last book haul post in September! One of those was my pre-order of The Vanishing Throne which I ordered on May 9 2014 and if I'm honest forgot all about...

Bought

The Boy Who Drew The Future

Harry Potter Illustrated Edition

The Vanishing Throne

Review

Beside Myself

The Book Of Storms

The Darkest Secret

Demon Road

Every Heart A Doorway

The Haunting

 

Crossed + One Hundred

Lawless & The Devil Of Euston Square

Lungdon

The Masked City

This Raging Light

Rebel Of The Sands

13 Minutes

Dead Ringers

Down Station

The Edge Of Reason - Melinda Snodgrass

Since the dawn of consciousness, a secret war has been fought between the forces of magic and religious fanaticism, and the cause of reason and technology. On one side are the Old Ones, malign entities that feed on the suffering of mankind. On the other are the Lumina, an ancient order dedicated the liberation of the human spirit.

Police officer Richard Oort is caught in the middle of this primal battle when he rescues the mysterious Rhianna from a trio of inhuman hunters. Recruited by the leader of the Lumina an enigmatic billionaire to serve as a Paladin, Richard finds himself at the centre of the war between Light and Darkness. But he has his own darkness that threatens to overwhelm him. Is he strong enough to bear the burden?

Melinda Snodgrass might be better known to some as the writer behind Star Trek TNG as she was to me so I was intrigued to read her fantasy trilogy that starts with The Edge of Reason. Originally published in 2008 it's been published in the UK to before the publication of the final book in the trilogy.

Richard Oort is out on patrol, minding his own business, when all of a sudden he's involved in the rescue of a girl from creatures that should not exist. From then on in it's a rollercoaster of emotions for Richard as he discovers that nothing in this world (and possibly the next) is what he thought it was. The Edge of Reason is very much a Good vs. Evil story, with Richard discovering he is a null, completely devoid of magic, unlike the majority of the population who still have a little left in their genetic make-up. For the confused police officer this means he is a Paladin, able to wield a sword and lead the fight against Evil even if he's not quite sure who or what that evil may be.

Snodgrass has a vast array of characters in her story, some more well developed than others but the most complex is definitely Oort. Becoming a police officer to rebel against his well-to-do family after briefly considering a career in music  much is made of his physical appearance in that he is short (for a man) and slight of build with a delicate appearance and therefore probably the least likely hero ever! Joining our hero are a young sorceress (falling in crush with Richard after her dramatic rescue), a feisty female coroner, a homeless man who may or may not be the physical embodiment of God and a business mogul who might just be Lucifer..

It's hard to grasp who is who and what side they're on and if you try to follow it too closely you'll end up with a headache but if you're willing to suspend all belief The Edge of Reason is actually a great urban fantasy story with plenty of twists and turns to keep you reading. Fast paced, it throws up some interesting points about religion and who the bad guy really is. I wasn't at all sure I'd like it at first but it's one of those books that gets under your skin so you have to keep reading and I've already started on the next book in the trilogy, The Edge of Ruin.

The Edge Of Reason (Edge #1) - Melinda Snodgrass

ISBN - 9781783294602

Publisher - Titan

Release date - September 19 2014

Find - Goodreads | Book Depository

Many thanks to Titan for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review!