This is a Worldbuilders blog.
Today we’ve got dozens and dozens of books. Signed books, sets of books, and Advance Reading Copies of books that won’t be published for months.
Let’s start with the ones donated by DAW. They’ve sent so many books that we’re going to start grouping a lot of them together, because listing them separately will take too long.
Some of these are obviously grouped together as books in a series. Others are grouped together by theme.
- A hardcover set of Shadowmarch: Shadowmarch, Shadowplay, Shadowrise, and Shadowheart by Tad Williams.
“Impressive… packed with intriguing plot twists, this surreal fantasy takes the reader on a thrill ride… The author’s richly detailed world will enchant established fans and win new converts.” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)
- Two sets of Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams.
“Epic fantasy you can get lost in for days, not just hours” – Locus
- A hardcover copy of Song of the Dragon by Tracy Hickman.
“With this volume, bestseller Hickman creates memorable characters and realms of immense richness, while holding the reader enthralled with exhilarating action.” – Publishers Weekly
- A set of Green Rider, First Rider’s Call, The High King’s Tomb and an ARC of the latest book Blackveil by Kristen Britain. Set includes a signed bookplate.
The ARC of blackveil in this set is really cool, as that book won’t be hitting the shelves until Februar, 2011.
“A fresh fantasy.” – Kirkus Reviews
- A hardcover copy of Omnitopia Dawn by Diane Duane.
“This outstanding speculative novel is action-packed and fast-moving, and Duane’s lavish, expansive world building already seems eerily prescient.” – Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)
“…one of the finest current writers of speculative fiction.” – Kirkus Reviews
- A hardcover copy of Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor.
- An ARC of Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor.
Nnedi was one of the authors I interviewed last year. And Who Fears Death is one of the few books I’ve actually blurbed.
“Nnedi Okorafor continues her epic journey into literary greatness. She manages to create worlds within worlds, stories that feel timeless, in language and settings we have not seen before…. She is in the passing lane now, and she is starting to pull away. Catch her now.” — Luis Alberto Urrea, bestselling author of The Hummingbird’s Daughter and Pulitzer Prize finalist.
“Both wondrously magical and terribly realistic.” – The Washington Post
- A hardcover first edition of Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith.
“History aficionado and champion fencer Aurelia Kim Murray investigates her taciturn grandmother’s European roots and her own identity in Smith’s sweeping, feminist Ruritanian romance. […] a lively heroine, mysterious ghosts, and a complex and intricate plot always get the action going.” – Publishers Weekly
- A copy of Well of Sorrows by Benjamin Tate.
“Brilliantly detailed worldbuilding and complicated characters makes this an engrossing read.” – Laura Anne Gilman
- A fantasy paperback set: Flight of the Renshai by Mickey Zucker Reichert, The Hidden City by Michelle West and Living with Ghosts by Kari Sperring. Set includes signed bookplates by Mickey Zucker Reichert and Michelle West.
Here’s a group of three flavors of fantasy novel ranging from demons to Norse sword fighters to ghosts and haunts.
- An urban-modern fantasy paperback set: The Enchanted Emporium by Tanya Huff and Trolls in the Hamptons by Celia Jerome.
Two modern fantasy books of actual fantasies: running a curiosity shop in a local community which includes the odd witch or dragon, and having one’s character come to life (pretty cool even if your character happens to be a giant red troll…)
- A sci-fi paperback set: Marseguro by Edward Willett, Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch and Prophets by S. Andrew Swann. Set includes
Here we’ve got Sci-Fi that runs the gamut from genetically altered humans battling to control their planet, aliens visiting earth, or explorations into the furthest reaches of space.
Yeah. I said ‘gamut.’ You want to make something of it?
Personally, I love the title “Touched by an Alien.”
- A copy of The Stepsister Scheme and an ARC of Red Hood’s Revenge by Jim C. Hines.
Jim Hines already donated a signed book earlier in the fundraiser. But this set is another chance to be reintroduced to fairy tale characters: warrior princess Talia (Sleeping Beauty), fellow princess-adventurers Danielle (Cinderella) and Snow (Snow White) and the shape-shifting assassin Roudette (Red Riding Hood).
- A set of three urban fantasy ARCs, A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire, Doppelgangster by Laura Resnick, and A Legacy of Daemons by Camille Bacon-Smith. Set includes a signed bookplate by Seanan McGuire.
A threesome of detective/gangster novels with more magic, demons and faeries than you can shake a stick at. *
*(Given certain pre-set standards for stick-size and shaking frequency.)
- A set of sci-fi ARCs: Conspirator by C. J. Cherryh and The Wilding by C. S. Friedman. Set includes signed bookplates by C. J. Cherryh and C. S. Friedman.
A winning combination: C. J. and C. S. with two stories of war and diplomacy between races in a grand setting of powerful civilizations spanning worlds.
- A Valdemar ARCs: Intrigues and Finding the Way by Mercedes Lackey. Set includes signed bookplate by Mercedes Lackey.
“Lackey is a spellbinding storyteller who keeps your heart in your mouth as she spins her intricate webs of magical adventure.”–Rave Reviews
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Next we have some lovely books and ARC’s donated by Penguin books.
- A hardcover of Dust by Joan Frances Turner.
I hadn’t heard of this book before, but now that I’ve read a little about it, I’m going to have to check it out. I like it when someone takes tired fantasy cliches and puts a clever, thoughtful spin on them…
“Turner’s debut is a massively entertaining and seriously revisionist zombie novel. How revisionist? Well, her characters communicate with each other eloquently (although, to humans, it sounds like a lot of grunts). They remember their past lives. They have thoughts and emotions, and when a new kind of creature, a sort of human-zombie hybrid, appears out of nowhere, they feel fear. The author has taken the familiar zombie clichés and given them a good shake. ” – David Pitt from Booklist (starred review)
- Three ARCs of The Dark Griffin by K. J. Taylor.
This is an ARC for a book that won’t be hitting the shelves until the end of the year. Since the book isn’t out yet, there aren’t many reviews available. But I’m willing to go out on a limb and guess that there’s a griffin in the book….
- A set of Destroyermen: Into the Storm, Maelstrom, and Distant Thunders by Taylor Anderson.
‘”Taylor Anderson and his patched-up four-stackers have steamed to the forefront of alternative history. All aboard for a cracking great read!” – E. E. Knight, Author of Fall with Honor
“I dipped my toe into Destroyerman: Into the Storm and when I looked up, it was two in the morning.” – S. M. Stirling
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This year a few bookstores were cool enough to help out by donating to Worldbuilders too. Here we have a bunch of lovely signed books from The Book Scouts.
- A hardcover first edition of Worldbinder by David Farland. Signed by the author.
“The Runelords is a first rate tale, an epic fantasy that more than delivers on its promise. Read it soon and treat yourself to an adventure you won’t forget.”–Terry Brooks
- A hardcover first edition of The Lair of Bones by David Farland. Signed by the author.
“David Farland’s Runelords books are among the best fantasies on the market today. Great characters, a fascinating concept, and some really nasty monsters make each novel a pleasure to read.” – Kevin J. Anderson
- A hardcover first edition of Five Odd Honors: Breaking the Wall by Jane Lindskold. Signed by the author.
I like this one because it has a golden monkey on the cover. I have simple tastes. That’s all it takes to win me over: golden monkey.
“Fans of Charles de Lint and Jim Butcher will enjoy this intricate, beautifully written urban fantasy and will wait impatiently for the next installment.” – VOYA
- A set of hardcover copies of Harbingers and Ground Zero, Repairman Jack Novels by Paul Wilson. Both signed by the author.
“Part hard-boiled detective novel, part “Matrix”and all fun, Wilson’s latest and, perhaps, greatest kept me up all night. A pulse-pounding novel that grips you by the throat and doesn’t let go even when it’s over.” – Eric Van Lustbader, author of The Testament
- A hardcover copy of The Dark-Eyes’ War by David B. Coe. Signed by the author.
“Coe manages to take several serious, weighty issues, approach them from distinctly different points of view and make you sympathetic toward characters who sometimes act selfishly or viciously. He absolutely nails the plot and sequencing.” – Romantic Times
- A hardcover copy of Rules of Ascension by David B. Coe. Signed by the author.
“This sword and sorcery epic gathers momentum like a runaway moving van.” – Publishers Weekly
- A hardcover copy of Darksong Rising by L. E. Modesitt, Jr. Signed by the author.
“The consistent excellence of L.E. Modesitt makes him by far the most entertaining of today’s fantasy writers.” – Romantic Times
- A hardcover copy of To Ride Hell’s Chasm by Janny Wurts. Signed by the author.
“Janny Wurts writes with astonishing energy… it ought to be illegal for one person to have so much talent.” – Stephen R. Donaldson
- A copy of Traitor’s Knot by Janny Wurts. Signed by the author.
“Wurts is in fine form here, providing endless twists and turns of plot and an artful complexity that is marvelous to behold.” – Booklist
- A hardcover copy of Off Armageddon Reef by David Weber. Signed by the author.
“Altogether, there is enough conflict to allow a natural storyteller like Weber to make a large, splendid novel that opens another saga. The saga being Weber’s form of choice and high achievement, hopes for the rest of it are definitely elevated.” – Roland Green from Booklist (starred review)
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Remember folks, for every 10 dollars you donate to Heifer International, you get a chance to win these books and hundreds of others like them.
In addition to that, Worldbuilders is matching 50% of all donations made on our Team Heifer page.
For more details, or to see the other books you can win, you can head over to the main page HERE.
