Monthly Archives: July 2011

New Horus Heresy Cover Art!

The cover art for Dan Abnett’s next Horus Heresy novel, Know No Fear, is here for  you to feast your eyes upon!!!! *drool*

CP

click the picture for a HUGE version!

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Atlas Infernal by Rob Sanders – Review by Lord of the Night

Lord of the Night reviews the stunning new Inquisitor Czevak novel, Atlas Infernal by Rob Sanders.


“From the Warp, to the Webway, and Terra herself, everyone is out to get Inquisitor Czevak. The Imperium wants him dead for what he has done, the Dark Gods want him dead for what he will do, and the Eldar want him dead for what he knows. But they have all made the same grave mistake. They have underestimated him.”
~The Founding Fields
It has been a while since I read an Inquisition novel. Its mostly been Space Marines hammering at xenos and traitors with bolter and blade, so it was good to get back to the dark(er) corners of 40k and see some of the unsung heroes. But Atlas Infernal is unlike any other Inquisition story, as others deal with the Puritans and the faithful, this story deals with the renegades, and we see them in a whole new light.
Bronislaw Czevak is a hunted man. The Eldar, the Imperium, the Dark Gods and their servants are all after his head, either immediately or after they torture him into revealing everything he has learned during his “guest stay” at the Black Library of Chaos. With knowledge that could shatter the Imperium, and damage the forces of Chaos quite badly, Czevak sets off to fight the forces of darkness. But with Ahriman, the Chosen of Tzeentch, hunting him down for his secrets, the Eldar Harlequinade stalking him for their mysterious motives, and the Puritans after his renegade head, Czevak will need every trick he has just to survive.
Atlas Infernal has proven to be a very good novel, and hopefully the beginning of a new series. Some have complained about the excessive description and if it were about another topic I might agree, however it isn’t describing the gothic architecture of the Imperium, nor the subtle movements of the Eldar. It describes Chaos, in vivid detail. This book has one of the best portrayals of Chaos I have read, it shows a wide spectrum of horror and madness as Czevak travels through the Eye and sees what the Warp can really do when it gets creative.
The characters in the novel, as with any Inquisition cast, come from a wide range of backgrounds. The element of renegades adds far more depth and we get characters like Saul Torqhuil, an Excommunicated Relictor Techmarine who plunders the worlds around the Eye to further the goal of the Relictors, to fight Chaos with Chaos. Epiphani Mallerstang the childish, and fantastically dressed Warp-seer who acts as a pseudo-navigator, and a bratty child, and her childhood friend Hessian, a Daemonhost who gives the team a powerhouse and some cool one-liners. Raimus Klute, the seasoned Inquisitor whose weariness of the renegade life shows us how the duties of an Inquisitor can weigh on those who carry them out, and Torres the captain of the Malescaythe, a rogue trader whose pragmatism is utterly at odds with Czevak’s recklessness.
But of course there is Czevak himself. A spontaneous, realistic yet reckless, daring and intelligent man who shows an amazing mind with his unorthodox solutions to the problems that he usually causes or brings down upon the crew of the Malescaythe. His goals and motivations are a driving force for him through the novel as he matches minds against the Chosen of Tzeentch, Ahriman. The enemy is not neglected and we are given the first portrayal of Ahriman post-heresy. A god in genesis, Ahriman is a scary character, able to be calm no matter what the situation and whose desire for knowledge is boundless.
The action scenes in the novel are not as numerous as most, considering this is an Inquisition novel and unlike the Astartes they don’t solve every problem by shooting it. But the scenes that are here are fantastic, the Rubric Marines of the enemy are given another appearance and we only learn to respect them more, some frightening abilities not yet seen and their master’s sorcerous power always makes for a good battle. And Czevak and crew do not disappoint with some very good fights, particularly from Torqhuil and Hessian, that keep you glued to the page.
The pacing of the novel is very good. Rob Sanders keeps the detective element going through the book, and with plenty of suspenseful moments you will want to keep reading through every page. The book can seem slow at a few parts but these are few and the book will keep you riveted through the entire reading.
Atlas Infernal‘s ending is a joy to read, and Czevak’s very last line is epic and just shouts potential, potential for a new series of adventures, which I sincerely hope is something that Rob Sanders is considering.
I give Atlas Infernal an 8.5/10 for an enthralling story, a great cast of characters, some really funny moments and one-liners, and an epic ending that would be perfect as a movie epilogue.
Should you buy this book? If you are a fan of the Inquisition then yes. This is one of the better novels about the Ordos, but its also a great 40k novel and I would say its one you should definitely try.
Well that’s it for now on the review front. I’ll be moving onto A Dance with Dragons tomorrow which takes precedence over Black Library until I finish it. Until then, AVE DOMINUS NOX!

you can buy the book here, below:

Atlas Infernal by Rob Sanders

Imperial Glory by Richard Williams – Advanced Review [Bane of Kings]

imperial-glory
Bane of Kings reviews Imperial Glory by Richard Williams, an Imperial Guard novel published by Black Library.
“The Brimlock Eleventh fight to claim the planet Voor for themselves. There’s just one problem… A big, fat and green problem, standing in their way.” ~The Founding Fields

Angry Robot News and Competitions!

Hey everbody, Bane of Kings here to give you a little bit of news that I stumbled across in my inbox midway through the current week. I would have posted it earlier, but mainly due to the fact that I had been on holiday. Anyway, here’s some news (and competitions), for you all.

Angry Robot eBook subscriptions announced
Love Angry Robot books? Want ALL of them? Well now you can subscribe to a years worth of eBooks from our own online store. All for just £69! Over 30% off our usual price for at least 24 eBooks. And because some of these titles are books 2 or 3 in a series, we are also going to give you a whopping great discount on our backlist titles.

Head on over to the Angry Robot eBook store now (http://www.angryrobotstore.com/category-8/12monthsubs.html) and pick up Hard Spell and Restoration – the first two books in our subscription plan.

Angry Robot Merchandise – now available
You can now buy a wide range of Angry Robot stuff, including T-Shirts, caps, mousemats, badges, coffee mugs, iPod/iPad cases and even babygrows! Want an Angry Robot skateboard? It’s yours! Want a Zoo City trucker cap. Sorted.

Have a browse of our UK merchandise store here: http://www.zazzle.co.uk/angryrobotgear

And our US merchandise store here:
http://www.zazzle.com/angryrobotgear

Win ALL of our books!
It is our birthday, and although we welcome presents, we also felt like it was time to give something back as well. So we are giving away two epic prizes. One lucky reader can win a copy of every book we have published. And one lucky reader can win every one of our eBooks!

All you have to do to enter is flex your creative muscles and come up with a lovely (or cringeworthy / funny / ridiculous) Hallmark style poem that would suit a birthday card for Angry Robot.

For more details just check out our website http://angryrobotbooks.com/2011/07/our-biggest-competition-ever-win-all-our-books/

Angry Robot sounds great!
Yet more exciting news, this time that the brilliant team at Brilliance have announced the schedule for the first Angry Robot audiobooks. So, by the end of October you will be able to listen to 8 of our books – with many more to come.

The initial list is up on our site (http://angryrobotbooks.com/2011/07/the-first-ar-audiobooks-are-on-their-way/) , go and check it out and we will let you know as soon as the first audiobooks go on sale! 
Get Angry Robot eBooks for just 99p!
If you live in the UK and you have a Kindle you will be pleased to hear that a fantastic selection of our books has been chosen for the Kindle Summer Reading promotion, and are available for just 99p!

So you can pick up Moxyland, Sixty-One Nails, The World House, King Maker, Kell’s Legend, The Crown of the Blood, City of Dreams and Nightmare, The Bookman, Nekropolis, Pretty Little Dead Things, Servant of the Underworld, Slights, Book of Secrets, Angel of Death, Walking the Tree and Winter Song for less than a quid each!

Links to all the books on the Kindle store here: http://angryrobotbooks.com/2011/07/angry-robot-ebooks-on-kindle-summer-reading-promo/
~Bane of Kings

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Anthony Cerrato: Crap

(A rebloged post on how one of my friends got into writing. Yes, it happens to the best of us. lol click the link, it’ll take you right to his site! i expect you all to follow him too.)

Anthony Cerrato: Crap: “Well, that went well. I realise it is now technically Saturday, but screw it. I’m counting this as a Friday post damn it! So, what rambl…”

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Aaron Dembski-Bowden: Married? or Trapped?

Nah! just kidding. Aaron Dembski-Bowden is not trapped. He’s Married!!! Aaron and his fiance Katie Brunt, tied the knot two days ago. :) Being friends of mine, i would like to extend to them my heaviest and most inescapable blessings! I would have been there (since Aaron asked so politely in one email: “Hey you tall, right-wing monster! Are you coming to the wedding?”) but alas, my government is notoriously slow with their passport renewals… fuckers. As such i seemed to have missed Aaron’s quote, “best day of his life thus far!” Which has clearly usurped his previous choice of the weekend of AdeptiCon 2010, wherein he and I drank copious amounts of alcohol and had a “killer” time, then Aaron declaring it as “The best weekend of my life!”

Not to say that i’m jealous… alright, maybe just a little. But i soooo wanted to sit at table Nostramo!  Yes, i’m thoroughly jealous that i wasn’t there to witness the day one of my good friends lost his freedoms. Signed his life away in blood on the dotted line. Because i know that beautiful pixie of his (Katie, you’re a doll!) will never let him leave alive. And rightly so! 

I’ve got to make it a point to go and visit them one of these years… Since i’m unsure when they’ll be back to my neck of the woods. They’ll be stunned, slightly frightened, and intrigued to see an Astartes walking up to their front door being tailed by the trotting, cheerful company of Loken, the family menace.  They’ll then realize it’s just me, and that Aaron can put his shotgun away. lol  Ah, good times will be had.

Once again, i miss you guys, and wish you all the happiness in the world! Have fun in Bruges you two!

-Dave

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Void Stalker Artwork!

Hey everyone, Commissar Ploss here to deliver on a piece of artwork we’ve all been waiting for, for quite some time! The cover art for Void Stalker, my friend Aaron’s third book in his highly acclaimed Night Lords series.

Following on from the exciting re-release of Lord of the Night last Friday, we can reveal the artwork for Aaron Dembski-Bowden’s next Night Lords novel, Void Stalker:

This piece, by Jon Sullivan, has to rate as one of the most impressive pictures of a Chaos Space Marine to date.

Aaron’s book will be out next year (it would be out sooner, but he’s busy getting married; sorry, ladies). In the meantime, If you’ve yet to read the first two books in the Night Lords series, you’ve got plenty of time to catch up. Both Soul Hunter and Blood Reaver are available here.

 

Apex Publications accepting novel submissions

Apex Publications is now accepting unsolicited novel submissions. Those of you who don’t have an agent, but have a finished book would do well to get your novel edited and then submit to these kind chaps! For more information click HERE.

Commissar Ploss

A Game of Thrones by George R.R Martin – Dual-Review by Lord of the Night and Bane of Kings


Lord of the Night and Bane of Kings review the epic first novel of the A Song of Ice and Fire series, A Game of Thrones by George R.R Martin.

“Prepare yourself for the hard times. For the cold and harsh days ahead, for the days of darkness when all men must take a stand against what lurks in the night. Prepare yourself, for Winter is Coming.”
I picked up A Game of Thrones many months ago after reading about it on the internet, and learning the fates of several key characters but such is inevitable when you try to read about a book that’s thirteen years old. I was enchanted with the series and immediately went onto the second novel which I had ordered with the first, and ordered the third and fourth novels together.
The story of A Game of Thrones is told from the point of views of many characters so we get multiple stories. When Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, is called by his old friend Robert Baratheon the First of his Name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, to be his Hand and rule side by side, it is the last thing that Eddard wants. But the king is surrounded by the Lannisters, a scheming family with more money than the kingdoms themselves, and whom Eddard does not trust. But the court of King’s Landing is a dangerous place for an honorable man like Eddard, and when he can trust no-one he must rely on those who he distrusts.
Far north at the Wall, the largest structure in the world, where the men of the Night’s Watch guard against the return of the mythical White Walkers, bastard Jon Snow prepares to undertake a life of service to the Watch. But he quickly learns that the Night’s Watch has fallen far in centuries past, and that this may not be the life he seeks.
Meanwhile across the Narrow Sea the dethroned royal heirs Daenerys Targaryen and her abusive elder brother Viserys, the rightful king, live in exile. Marrying Daenerys to a Dothraki Warlord, Khal Drogo, Viserys plans to retake the Seven Kingdoms with an army, but Daenerys will soon learn that it may be her who will return the Dragons to their rightful place as rulers of men.
The characterization in the novel is fantastic. From the honorable Eddard Stark who serves as a main character, his wife the loyal Catelyn Tully, to his children the feminine Sansa Stark, the wilful tomboy Arya Stark and the inquisitive Bran Stark, the crux of the cast are Starks. But the witty Imp Tyrion Lannister shows us the story from his side, and offers up many laughs along the way. And across the sea we have Daenerys Targaryen, who transforms through the book from a meek young girl into a strong confident woman.
And of course the characters in the background like the drunken king Robert, his manipulative wife Cersei Lannister and her twin brother Jaime Lannister, the infamous Kingslayer. With Jon at the Wall we see the fat craven Samwell Tarly, the cruel master-at-arms Alliser Throne and Lord Commander Jeor Mormont who takes a great interested in Jon. And with Daenerys we see her cruel brother Viserys Targaryen, the exiled knight Jorah Mormont, and Daenerys’ husband Khal Drogo, a fierce warrior and a loving husband.
The action in the novel is quite impressive. Swords clash in plenty of bloody scenes in the novel, at tourneys, skirmishes in the city streets and all-out war across the Seven Kingdoms. No guns are present but that makes the sword battles more impressive as we see them in more detail and number than most would expect.
The pacing is very good, considering that this is a long book and will take you some time to read. It keeps the reader interested with battles, treachery and an excellent story. No slowing down here.
The ending is brilliant. Not only setting the stage for the next book but going out on an incredible note, scene and final line. Delivering a brand of magic that is hard to replicate, Ser Martin has written a truly amazing ending that is very hard to top.
I give A Game of Thrones a 10/10 for a fantastic story, a wide cast of characters of which all are interesting, even the supporting cast, and for being the start of a truly wondrous series that has brought many new fans to fantasy.
Should you buy this book? YES! This is a fantastic series that is a must-read for any fan of fantasy and for any who want to read fantasy. Those who bitch about long periods between releases should be ignored, the books will take as long as they take and this is a series that’s worth the wait.

———————-

Bane of Kings Reviews the novel,
A Game of Thrones: George RR Martin
A Song of Ice and Fire
“An epic fantasy novel that drags you in and keeps you hooked until the end. One of the best, if not the best, fantasy novels since Tolkien.”
~The Founding Fields
Now, when was the last time that I reviewed an epic fantasy novel set in an original universe on this blog? I don’t think I have, but there’s a first time for everything I guess. Anyway, here’s a series that has become so popular since its release that it has even had its own TV series launched recently. Let’s not point out that I haven’t seen it yet, me lacking the right channel and all, but anyway, let’s move onto the first installment in the ground-breaking A Song of Ice and Fire series, written by George RR Martin.
Although admittedly bought as part of a three-for-two offer and on a whim, I knew that I had made the right choice almost as soon as I looked at the blurb.
After all, how awesome does this sound to you:
“Kings and queens, knights and renegades, liars, lords and honest men.
All will play the Game of Thrones.
Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun. It will stretch from the south, where heat breeds plot, lusts and intrigues; to the vast frozen north, where a 700-foot wall of ice protects the kingdom from the dark forces that lie beyond.
But this game is not without cost. You win, or you die.”
Told from the point of view of a wide range of characters, A Game of Thrones is as much about them as it is the world that it is set in. Lord Eddard, otherwise known as Ned, his wife Catelyn and their son Bran all have ‘page-time’, as well as numerous other characters including their daughters Sansa and Arya, Eddard’s bastard son Jon, the dwarf Tyrion Lannister, and Daenerys, the princess of the dragonstone.
With so many characters getting showcased, you really get to understand various points of view of this fantastic world that Martin has created, and populated with humanity and other creatures, such as direwolves.
The characters are portrayed fantastically in this novel, no matter how many faults they have as a person (this is not the author’s bad writing, it’s just the way they act, if you get what I mean, for example – Sansa.)
Fantasy novels don’t get much better than this. No matter how large A Game of Thrones is, and it is pretty big (almost 800 pages long (at least, the paperback version published in 2011 by Harper Voyager is), and no matter how long it takes to advance the story, you’ll be hard pressed to find an epic fantasy that triumphs this one, Tolkien’s works aside.
I’m repeating myself here, so I’d probably best move on. Action scenes are written really well, the dialogue is incredible and really, there are very little bad things about this book. Martin manages to build the world that he has set as a backdrop for A Song of Ice and Fire superbly well, to such an extent where it does not bog down the story.
Indeed, I’m obviously not the only one who thinks that A Game of Thrones is amazing, as in 1997, it won the Locus award for the best Fantasy novel, and in the same year, was also a Nebula Award Nominee. Now, the amusing part is that I’ve actually got no idea what those awards are, but I’m going to have to do some research.
In this novel, you’ll find that Martin isn’t afraid to make bad things happen to good people, making this differ from the norm, but this is by far from a bad thing.
In conclusion, you must buy this book, simple as that. I’m sure others will back me up on the rating that I’m about to give you now, so prepare yourselves, for a ten out of ten!
Rating: 10/10
Should you buy this book? Yes
For Fans of: Lord of the Rings, Epic (High) Fantasy, Warhammer Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Tolkien,
You can buy the box set from us, or just the first novel!

George R.R. Martin – A Game of Thrones (box set)

George R.R. Martin – A Game of Thrones (book 1)

Australia and New Zealand Free Shipping!

Hey there! Commissar Ploss wanting to bring a special TFF promotion to the attention of those of you in either Australia or New Zealand.  Abe Books, an online, discount book retailer is letting us give away free shipping to ANZ customers!  Find out how!

 
The trick is as follows, click on the image below to be directed to Abe Books, then search for your favorite books, buy, and presto! FREE SHIPPING!  It will only work if you click through the link below however.  This is a TFF only promotion! Yay! – CP

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The Founding Fields - Blogged