Sworn in Steel by Douglas Hulick (Tales of the Kin #2)

Blurb: It’s been three months since Drothe killed a legend, burned down a portion of the imperial capital, and unexpectedly elevated himself into the ranks of the criminal elite. Now, as the newest Gray Prince in the underworld, he’s learning just how good he used to have it.

With barely the beginnings of an organization to his name, Drothe is already being called out by other Gray Princes. And to make matters worse, when one dies, all signs point to Drothe as wielding the knife. As members of the Kin begin choosing sides – mostly against him – for what looks to be another impending war, Drothe is approached by a man who not only has the solution to Drothe’s most pressing problem, but an offer of redemption. The only problem is the offer isn’t for him.

Now Drothe finds himself on the way to the Despotate of Djan, the empire’s long-standing enemy, with an offer to make and a price on his head. And the grains of sand in the hour glass are running out, fast...

Short Read Recommendation: For the Glory Set Before Them by Matt Karlov

Here is a short 100 word review for a wonderfully written Military Fantasy short story I was recommended. It's only .99 cents over on Amazon and well worth the read.

For The Glory Set Before Them is a first person military fantasy short story in the spirit of Glen Cook. The tale is written in journal entry style addressed to the main character’s (Barais) brother and serves as a snapshot from Barais’s campaign and exploration of the reality of the war. Barais is a sorcerer and member of a small squad. Despite the short format, the various personalities within the squad are explored and well developed over the course of the story. The tale has excellent prose, a solid story, and has left me with the desire to know more.

My Writing

Greetings fine people!

I wanted make a small 'self-promo' type post, which is something I don't really do and probably won't really do again. But anyway, I have been writing small stories here and there for a good long time. Recently I made the decision that I want to make my work public and inevitably work towards publishing my own eBooks. I love writing in Science Fiction and Fantasy and I hope to be able to connect with readers in a very different way than I have in the past in the Blog space. 

That being said, I wanted to invite you as my blog readers to follow me over at Wattpad. If you don't know what Wattpad is, it's basically this cool website where aspiring writers can post their stories for readers to read for free and get feedback. Over the next several months I plan on rolling out several stories on my Wattpad page and I hope to see some of you there for some feedback.

Now, of course, I don't want the good 'ol blog becoming some weird self-promo space. I will make a separate website for that when the time comes. But as of now on my Wattpad page you can find a single Drabble (101 word story) I've written titled 'The Astral Queen' (linked here and below). I also am pleased to announce that on August 10th I will have a flash fiction piece published in The Flash Fiction Press. I will probably end up posting this one as well on Wattpad as soon as I can. 

Be on the lookout for plenty more stories in the coming weeks and months. I look forward to your feedback. 

Many thanks!

ARC Haul: The Waking Fire by Anthony Ryan

The Waking Fire by Anthony Ryan

Release Date: July 5th by ACE

Length: 592 Pages

Series: The Draconis Memoria #1

I've been a fan of Anthony Ryan's work since the release of Blood Song, the first novel in the Raven's Shadow trilogy. I've been pretty eager to get my hands on this one and was very pleased to find an ARC laying on my doorstep! I'll work to get through this one (my TBR is every growing) and I'll let you know my thoughts!

Blurb: Throughout the vast lands controlled by the Ironship Syndicate, nothing is more prized than the blood of drakes. Harvested from the veins of captive or hunted Reds, Green, Blues and Blacks, it can be distilled into elixirs that give fearsome powers to the rare men and women who have the ability harness them—known as the blood-blessed.

 
But not many know the truth: that the lines of drakes are weakening. If they fail, war with the neighboring Corvantine Empire will follow swiftly. The Syndicate's last hope resides in whispers of the existence of another breed of drake, far more powerful than the rest, and the few who have been chosen by fate to seek it.
 
Claydon Torcreek is a petty thief and an unregistered blood-blessed, who finds himself pressed into service by the protectorate and sent to wild, uncharted territories in search of a creature he believes is little more than legend. Lizanne Lethridge is a formidable spy and assassin, facing gravest danger on an espionage mission deep into the heart of enemy territory. And Corrick Hilemore is the second lieutenant of an ironship, whose pursuit of ruthless brigands leads him to a far greater threat at the edge of the world.
 
As lives and empires clash and intertwine, as the unknown and the known collide, all three must fight to turn the tide of a coming war, or drown in its wake.

About the Author: Anthony Ryan was born in Scotland in 1970 but spent much of his adult life living and working in London. After a long career in the British Civil Service he took up writing full time after the success of his first novel Blood Song, Book One of the Raven’s Shadow trilogy. He has a degree in history, and his interests include art, science and the unending quest for the perfect pint of real ale.

Author's Website: Anthony Ryan's Website

Buy the Book: The Waking Fire on Amazon.com

Chains of the Heretic by Jeff Salyards

Blurb: Emperor Cynead has usurped command of the Memoridons—Tower-controlled memory witches—and consolidated his reign over the Syldoonian Empire. After escaping the capital city of Sunwrack, Captain Braylar Killcoin and his Jackal company evade pursuit across Urglovia, tasked with reaching deposed emperor Thumarr and helping him recapture the throne. Braylar’s sister, Soffjian, rejoins the Jackals and reveals that Commander Darzaak promised her freedom if she agreed to aid them in breaking Cynead’s grip on the other Memoridons and ousting him.

Imperial forces attempt to intercept Braylar’s company before they can reach Thumarr. The Jackals fight through Cynead’s battalions but find themselves trapped along the Godveil. Outmaneuvered and outnumbered, Braylar gambles on some obscure passages that Arki has translated and uses his cursed flail, Bloodsounder, to part the Godveil, leading the Jackals to the other side. There, they encounter the ruins of human civilization, but they also learn that the Deserters who abandoned humanity a millennium ago and created the Veil in their wake are still very much alive. But are they gods? Demons? Monsters?

What Braylar, Soffjian, Arki, and the Jackals discover beyond the Godveil will shake an empire, reshape a map, and irrevocably alter the course of history.

The Builders by Daniel Polansky

Blurb: A missing eye.
A broken wing.
A stolen country.

The last job didn't end well.

Years go by, and scars fade, but memories only fester. For the animals of the Captain's company, survival has meant keeping a low profile, building a new life, and trying to forget the war they lost. But now the Captain's whiskers are twitching at the idea of evening the score.

Format: I am reviewing the Kindle edition of this novella which was 226 pages in length. The novella was originally published by Tor.com in November of 2015. The novel is told in 3rd person limited POV with a fairly small cast of characters. 

Dragon Hunters by Marc Turner

“Life or death decided by a hairbreadth. That's just the way it was.” 
― Marc Turner, Dragon Hunters

Blurb: The sequel to When the Heavens Fall features gritty characters, deadly magic, and meddlesome gods

Once a year on Dragon Day the fabled Dragon Gate is raised to let a sea dragon pass into the Sabian Sea. There, it will be hunted by the Storm Lords, a fellowship of powerful water-mages who rule an empire called the Storm Isles. 

Emira Imerle Polivar is coming to the end of her tenure as leader of the Storm Lords, but she has no intention of standing down graciously. As part of her plot to hold on to power, she instructs an order of priests known as the Chameleons to sabotage the Dragon Gate. There’s just one problem: that will require them to infiltrate an impregnable citadel that houses the gate’s mechanism — a feat that has never been accomplished before. 

But Imerle is not the only one intent on destroying the Storm Lord dynasty. As the Storm Lords assemble in answer to a mysterious summons, they become the targets of assassins working for an unknown enemy. And when Imerle sets her scheme in motion, that enemy uses the ensuing chaos to play its hand.

Giveaway: Two Copies of Dancer's Lament by Ian C. Esslemont!

The generous publicity team over at Tor Books have offered me two copies of Dancer's Lament to giveaway! If you haven't heard or read my review of Dancer's Lament, it's the first in a prequel trilogy set in the popular Steven Erikson/Ian C. Esslemont Malazan universe prior to the events of The Malazan Book of the Fallen and the founding of the Malazan Empire. Dancer's Lament is not only a good backstory of Dancer and Kellanved for fans of the series, but also a great place for new readers to start too!

So how can you enter to win a copy? 

1. If you're already a fan of the Malazan series, simply comment on this post or the associated reddit post with what your favorite book in the series is and why.

2. If you've not read any of the Malazan books, simply comment on this post or the associated reddit post with what's got you interested in the series and why.

3. The giveaway will be open until Friday, May 27th at 11:59PM.

4. On Saturday, May 28th, I will select two winners by inputting names into a randomizer.

5. I will reply to the comment (or PM on reddit) of the two selected winners with instructions to send me the mailing address they would like the copy sent to. I will then forward this info to Tor for fulfillment.

You do not need to follow the Deviant Worlds blog to be eligible for this contest. Though you are more than welcome to join the community. Good luck on the giveaway, and don't forget to share!

Dancer's Lament by Ian C. Esslemont

“If you corner him there will be bloodshed. And I do not like bloodshed.’ 
Dorin arched a brow. ‘Really. You don’t like bloodshed.’
‘No. It’s messy and unsophisticated. There are better ways of doing things.’
‘Such as?’
Wu brightened, flashed his yellowed crooked teeth. ‘My ways. Lying, trickery, deceit, cheating, or just plain patience. He will come to us.” -Ian C. Esslemont, Dancer's Lament

Blurb: Esslemont's all-new prequel trilogy takes readers deeper into the politics and intrigue of the New York Times bestselling Malazan Empire. Dancer's Lament focuses on the genesis of the empire, and features Dancer, the skilled assassin, who, alongside the mage Kellanved, would found the Malazan empire.

Interview: E.J. Stevens

Welcome E.J. Stevens to Deviant Worlds!

To start things off, do you read much science fiction or fantasy? If so, what are your favorite authors and favorite books by those authors?

I love speculative fiction, especially science fiction and fantasy. My favorite authors include Glen Cook (Black Company), William Gibson (Neuromancer), Alastair Reynolds (Revelation Space), Jim Butcher (Dresden Files, Codex Alera), Faith Hunter (Jane Yellowrock), and Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson and Alpha & Omega). I also have an enduring love of Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. 

Do you have a favorite sub-genre that you find you gravitate to? 

My favorite sub-genre is Urban Fantasy, with Grimdark a close second.

The Friday 5: Popular Series I Want to Read

The saddest part about this week's top 5 list? I own the first book in every single one of these series already. I've heard such good things about each of these that over the last couple years I've picked up these titles and they've been in my TBR. But alas, I get distracted so easily in my reading. So without further ado, this weeks list is 5 Popular Series I Want to Read. Be sure to leave me you're top 5 in the comments below!

(Graphic Novel) Michael Moorcock's Elric Vol. 1: The Ruby Throne by Julien Blondel

Blurb: Elric, the albino emperor, has ruled Melniboné for millennia - a feat made possible through magic and various herbs that serve to strengthen and prolong his life. However, Elric's empire is crumbling before him and now his envious cousin and prince of Melniboné, Yyrkoon, plots to claim the Ruby Throne for himself. 

     Yet when Elric's people come under the threat of a pirate attack, Elric believes that he can once again restore his authority and regain their faith by defeating the pirates. However, the true cost of this task will force him to reveal his allegiance to the dark Arioch, the most dominant of the Lords of Chaos...

Format: Elric Vol. 1: The Ruby Throne is a graphic novelization by Julien Blondel of Michael Moorcock's hit series beginning with Elric of Melnibone. I am reviewing the Kindle ebook version of the graphic novel which was 64 pages in length. The course of the 1st volume takes place with the events of the first Elric novel in beautiful artistic detail.

The Friday 5: Authors that Deserve More Attention

The Friday 5 is a weekly event here on Deviant Worlds. Every Friday I present a top 5 list related to the science fiction or fantasy genre. This week's Friday 5 is Author's that Deserve More Attention. These are authors that have found traditional publishing success, but aren't the buzz their good work should be in the fantasy circles. Basically, these are the authors I wish were more popular in the genre. As always, leave me your list in the comments below!

My Favorite Fantasy Quotes - Part 2

I previously posted part 1 of My Favorite Fantasy Quotes in which I shared some of my favorite lines from fantasy books I've read. Below I've listed more great lines I've read and saved over the years. Some of them are words of wisdom and some just give me chills every time I read them. As always, leave me some of your favorite quotes in the comments below!

The Friday 5: Great Fantasy Sites I Follow

The Friday 5 is a weekly event posted here on Deviant Worlds. Each week I create a personal top 5 list relating to the genres of Fantasy and Science Fiction. This week's topic is my Top 5 Great Fantasy Sites I Follow. These are other fantasy based sites around the web I love to lurk on and do not contribute content to.
Here they are:

Sword of the North by Luke Scull

Blurb: As Davarus Cole and his former companions were quick to discover, the White Lady’s victorious liberation of Dorminia has not resulted in the freedom they once imagined. Anyone perceived as a threat has been seized and imprisoned—or exiled to darker regions—leaving the White Lady’s rule unchallenged and absolute. But the White Lady would be wiser not to spurn her former supporters: Eremul the Halfmage has learned of a race of immortals known as the Fade, and if he cannot convince the White Lady of their existence, all of humanity will be in danger.
 
Far to the north, Brodar Kayne and Jerek the Wolf continue their odyssey to the High Fangs only to find themselves caught in a war between a demon horde and their enemy of old, the Shaman. And in the wondrous city of Thelassa, Sasha must overcome demons of her own.

My Favorite Fantasy Quotes - Part 1

Words have a certain power to them. A power to create life, to take it, to teach the laws of reason and madness alike. In fantasy, we try to create other worlds to reflect the best and worst of our lot in life. We create stories that are powerful and characters we care about. Many times you can find words of wisdom in fantasy as well as words that give you goosebumps. Over the course of a few separate posts I would like to share with you the best quotes I've read so far in fantasy. I hope you enjoy them and please feel free to share your thoughts and some of your own favorites in the comments below. Enjoy!

Queen of Fire by Anthony Ryan

“Anyone who claims they have a genius for war should be regarded as the greatest of fools. For the successful conduct of war is an exercise in the management of folly.” -Anthony Ryan, Queen of Fire

Blurb: After fighting back from the brink of death, Queen Lyrna is determined to repel the invading Volarian army and regain the independence of the Unified Realm. Except, to accomplish her goals, she must do more than rally her loyal supporters. She must align herself with forces she once found repugnant—those who possess the strange and varied gifts of the Dark—and take the war to her enemy’s doorstep.

Victory rests on the shoulders of Vaelin Al Sorna, now named Battle Lord of the Realm. However, his path is riddled with difficulties. For the Volarian enemy has a new weapon on their side, one that Vaelin must destroy if the Realm is to prevail—a mysterious Ally with the ability to grant unnaturally long life to her servants. And defeating one who cannot be killed is a nearly impossible feat, especially when Vaelin’s blood-song, the mystical power which has made him the epic fighter he is, has gone ominously silent…

The Friday 5: Books I Want Made into Movies/TV Series

Welcome to The Friday 5, a weekly top 5 about fantasy and science fiction here on Deviant Worlds. This week I'd like to present you with my Top 5 Books I Want Made into Movies/TV series. Check it out and let me know your top 5 in the comments below!

Patrick Rothfuss' Tak Kickstarter Project

"Tak is the best sort of game: simple in its rules, complex in its strategy. Bredon beat me handily in all five games we played, but I am proud to say that he never beat me the same way twice." -Kvothe

Fans of Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller chronicles may be interested to know that the strategy board game Tak is being brought into the world. The game was originally introduced in The Wise Man's Fear and is described on the project page as 'in the same family as chess, go, and mancala'.

If you'd like to find out more about the project or Tak itself, check out the Kickstarter project page and feel free to contribute to help bring this game into being. 

Speaking of fantasy based board games, what are some of your favorite fantasy inspired board games?

This Week's TBR

Here's what I hope to read this week! There are two ARCs in the mix and I'm hoping I can get through at least my current reads to get on to those by the end of the week. Check back here to hear my thoughts on Sword of the North and/or the Swordbearer sometime this week. As always, my currently reading/TBR can change if I feel like reading something else instead. What's your TBR? Let me know in the comments below!

The Liar's Key by Mark Lawrence

“Throw away too much of your past and you abandon the person who walked those days. When you pare away at yourself you can reinvent, that’s true enough, but such whittling always seems to reveal a lesser man, and promises to leave you with nothing at the end.” -Mark Lawrence, The Liar's Key

Blurb: Winter is keeping Prince Jalan Kendeth far from the longed-for luxuries of his southern palace. And although the North may be home to his companion, the warrior Snorri ver Snagason, he is just as eager to leave. For the Viking is ready to challenge all of Hell to bring his wife and children back into the living world. He has Loki’s key – now all he needs is to find the door.

As all wait for the ice to unlock its jaws, the Dead King plots to claim what was so nearly his – the key to the underworld -- so that his dead subjects can rise and rule.

The Friday 5: Favorite Fantasy Authors

Welcome to The Friday 5. Each week here on Deviant Worlds I bring you a friday top 5 list from the Fantasy or Science fiction genre. This week's top 5 are my Top 5 Favorite Fantasy Authors (With a bonus) Feel free to comment with your favorite fantasy authors in the comments below!

Bonus: Michael J. Sullivan

So before I start this week's top 5, I really have to mention Michael J. Sullivan. Although I didn't put him in my top 5, I really had hard choices to make. The Riyria Revelations has become one of my favorite fantasy reads over the last year. I've really connected with Hadrian and Royce, the mercenary main characters of the novels and I quickly devoured the novels after reading the first in the series Theft of Swords. Michael writes all his novels in the series first before publishing the first one. This way of writing meant that all the books were interconnected with nods forwards and backwards to the others in the series. The tales are epic quests with crazy odds and they really have been a joy for me to read

The Force Unleashed by Sean Williams

"The Sith always betray one another. . . . I'm sure you'll learn that soon enough." - Sean Williams, The Force Unleashed

Blurb: The overthrow of the Republic is complete. The Separatist forces have been smashed, the Jedi Council nearly decimated, and the rest of the Order all but destroyed. Now absolute power rests in the iron fist of Darth Sidious - the cunning Sith lord better known as the former Senator, now Emperor, Palpatine. But more remains to be done. Pockets of resistance in the galaxy must still be defeated and missing Jedi accounted for . . . and dealt with. These crucial tasks fall to the Emperor's ruthless enforcer, Darth Vader. In turn, the Dark Lord has groomed a lethal apprentice entrusted with a top-secret mission: to comb the galaxy and dispatch the last of his masters' enemies, thereby punctuating the dark side's victory with the Jedi's doom.

Interview: Loren Rhoads

Welcome Loren Rhoads to Deviant Worlds!

LR:  Thanks for having me, Eric.

First off, tell us a little bit about yourself. When did you decide to be a writer?

LR:  I don’t exactly remember.  I was a storyteller from a very early age.  My mom was a librarian, so I grew up surrounded by books.  I decided I was a writer – for real – in 2008, when I
flew to LA to do a book signing for the Sins of the Sirens anthology at Dark Delicacies.  It was a four-woman anthology that I shared with Maria Alexander, Mehitobel Wilson, and Christa Faust.  That trip made me feel legit at last.

The Friday 5: Fantasy Settings I'd Love More Books In

These are the top 5 fantasy settings I wish had more books set in. Feel free to leave me your top 5 settings you'd love more books in below in the comments! 


5. The Continent
Series: The Witcher Saga
Author: Andrzej Sapkowski
Prominent Character: Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher)
First Book: The Last Wish

Blurb: Geralt de Rivia is a witcher. A cunning sorcerer. A merciless assassin. And a cold-blooded killer. His sole purpose: to destroy the monsters that plague the world. But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good...and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.

Dynasty of Evil by Drew Karpyshyn

“Materialism—an attachment to physical goods beyond their practical value—was a trap; a chain to ensnare the foolish with their own greed.” -Drew Karpyshyn, Dynasty of Evil

Blurb: Twenty years have passed since Darth Bane, reigning Dark Lord of the Sith, demolished the ancient order devoted to the dark side and reinvented it as a circle of two: one Master to wield the power and pass on the wisdom, and one apprentice to learn, challenge, and ultimately usurp the Dark Lord in a duel to the death. But Bane’s acolyte, Zannah, has yet to engage her Master in mortal combat and prove herself a worthy successor. Determined that the Sith dream of galactic domination will not die with him, Bane vows to learn the secret of a forgotten Dark Lord that will assure the Sith’s immortality--and his own.

Read, Reading, Will Read

This is what I've read so far this week:
I read A Song for No Man's Land by Andy Remic over the weekend. It was a solid novella with a sort of Grimdark WWI fantasy appeal. You can read my full thoughts on it here.

I also just today was able to finally sit down and read Road Brothers:Tales of the Broken Empire. I'd been pretty eager to read this one for a while as Mark Lawrence's Broken Empire trilogy quickly became a new favorite of mine back in 2014. You can read my full thoughts on his Broken Empire anthology here.

Road Brothers: Tales from the Broken Empire by Mark Lawrence

“Darkness is patient, always waiting for its chance, and swift to take it.”  -Mark Lawrence, Road Brothers: Tales from the Broken Empire

Blurb: 10 short stories from the lives of Jorg and his Road Brothers. Contains spoilers for the Broken Empire trilogy. 5 of the stories have previously been published in anthologies, Contains the short story 'Sleeping Beauty' that is also sold separately. A total of 43.000 words or just over half the length of Prince of Thorns.

A Song for No Man's Land by Andy Remic

“I was going to write down my experiences during the assault, but what’s the point now? It’s all been written before, so many glorified accounts, soldiers, warriors, heroes. No matter how grim a picture I paint, there will always be those who have bright excited eyes, who think War is romantic, exciting, a beast to be tamed.”  -Andy Remic, A Song for No Man's Land

Blurb: He signed up to fight with visions of honour and glory, of fighting for king and country, of making his family proud at long last.
But on a battlefield during the Great War, Robert Jones is shot, and wonders how it all went so very wrong, and how things could possibly get any worse.
He'll soon find out. When the attacking enemy starts to shapeshift into a nightmarish demonic force, Jones finds himself fighting an impossible war against an enemy that shouldn't exist.

The Lord Collector by Anthony Ryan

Blurb: Author's note:The following story takes place in the same world as my novel Blood Song, the first volume in the Raven's Shadow trilogy. I wrote it because I wanted to more fully explore characters who appear in Blood Song and the sequels Tower Lord and Queen of Fire. Readers familiar with my work are sure to recognize a certain pale-eyed, raspy-voiced Sword Master of the Sixth Order, and those curious as to the origins of the Tower Lord of the Southern Shore will find answers here. The tale takes place at the midpoint of the timeline described in Blood Song, a time when King Janus, with typical ruthlessness, is in the process of further consolidating his grip on the Unified Realm.

Format: The Lord Collector is a novella set between Blood Song and Tower Lord in the Raven's Shadow series. I am reviewing the audio format of the novella as narrated by Steven Brand. The audio book is 1 hour and 37 minutes in length. The novella was published in June of 2015. The tale is told in limited 3rd POV with the primary character being Jehrid, the Lord Collector. 

The Friday 5: Series Debuts of 2016 I'm Most Excited For

5. Sharp Ends by Joe Abercrombie
Publication Date: April 26, 2016
Blurb: Sharp Ends combines previously published, award-winning tales with exclusive new short stories. Violence explodes, treachery abounds, and the words are as deadly as the weapons in this rogue's gallery of side-shows, back-stories, and sharp endings from the world of the First Law.

I've really enjoyed my time with the First Law trilogy. As I near the end of the series I am eager to get into some of the back stories and characters in the same world. I've never really been one for short stories, by hopefully this one will be a pleasant exception.

Rule of Two by Drew Karpyshyn

“There must only be two, No more and no less.” ― Drew Karpyshyn, Rule of Two

Blurb: In the New York Times bestseller Darth Bane: Path of Destruction, Drew Karpyshyn painted a gripping portrait of a young man’s journey from innocence to evil. That man was Darth Bane, a twisted genius whose iron will, fierce ambition, and strength in the dark side of the Force made him a natural leader among the Sith–until his radical embrace of an all-but-forgotten wisdom drove him to destroy his own order . . . and create it anew from the ashes. As the last surviving Sith, Darth Bane promulgated a harsh new directive: the Rule of Two.

A Chance to Win Some Free Books!

There are quite a few great opportunities to win some big name future and recently released fantasy novels out there right now. The following giveaways are free to enter (albeit they require a free Goodreads account, a service you should consider joining anyway if you're a reader!). I've won a few Goodreads giveaways over the years and nothing is more satisfying than getting a great book from one of your favorite authors for free! Feel free to check them out. And, of course, good Luck!

Author Mark Lawrence is calling all self-published fantasy authors!

In case you didn't hear about Mark Lawrence's Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off this last year, you might be interested to know that it is an event that allows self-published fantasy authors to submit their work to be reviewed by top genre blogs in the hopes of being chosen as the best self published work. The submissions are distributed among the blogs and each blogger then reviews the books and recommends a finalist. Of course throughout the process self-published authors will get a chance to get their work out there with the ultimate prize of some serious free promotion if your work is selected as a finalist. 

The Emperor's Blades by Brian Staveley

“Resist faith. Resist trust. Believe only in what you touch with your hands. The rest is error and air.” -Brian Staveley, The Emperor's Blades

Blurb: The Emperor has been murdered, leaving the Annurian Empire in turmoil. Now his progeny must bury their grief and prepare to unmask a conspiracy.

His son Valyn, training for the empire’s deadliest fighting force, hears the news an ocean away. He expected a challenge, but after several ‘accidents’ and a dying soldier’s warning, he realizes his life is also in danger. Yet before Valyn can take action, he must survive the mercenaries’ brutal final initiation.

The Wheel of Osheim Art Contest

thatthornguy, the unofficial website of fantasy author Mark Lawrence, is hosting an art contest with the potential to win signed (or dedicated) copies of The Wheel of Osheim! To enter, you simply have to create a two dimensional (painting, drawing, photography, digital art, ect.) featuring scenes, characters, or objects from any Mark Lawrence novel.

The best entries will be judged and determined by Mark Lawrence, Kimberly Kincaid, and Pen Astridge. Three selected winners will recieve a copy of The Wheel of Osheim (The third novel in the Red Queen's War trilogy) provided by Ace Books and HarperVoyager. Additionally, one random winner selected will receive a signed (or dedicated) Mark Lawrence novel of choice!

Path of Destruction by Drew Karpyshyn

“Honor is for the living. Dead is dead.” - Drew Karpyshyn, Path of Destruction

On the run from vengeful Republic forces, Dessel, a cortosis miner, vanishes into the ranks of the Sith army and ships out to join the bloody war against the Republic and its Jedi champions. There, Dessel’s brutality, cunning, and exceptional command of the Force swiftly win him renown as a warrior. But in the eyes of his watchful masters, a far greater destiny awaits him. 
As an acolyte in the Sith academy, studying the secrets and skills of the dark side, Dessel embraces his new identity: Bane. But the true test is yet to come. In order to gain acceptance into the Brotherhood of Darkness, he must defy the most sacred traditions and reject all he has been taught. It is a trial by fire in which he must surrender fully to the dark side–and forge from the ashes a new era of absolute power.