Tag Archives: Tanya Huff

Books from DAW, Penguin, and The Book Scouts.

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)

“Epic fantasy you can get lost in for days, not just hours” – Locus

“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

“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

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

“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

“Brilliantly detailed worldbuilding and complicated characters makes this an engrossing read.” – Laura Anne Gilman

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…)

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 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

*     *     *

Next we have some lovely books and ARC’s donated by Penguin books.

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)

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

*     *     *

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

“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)

*     *     *

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.

Posted in Worldbuilders 2010 | By Pat13 Responses

Books from DAW

This is a Worldbuilders blog.

Today we’ve got a ton of books donated by my lovely publisher, DAW.

Well… Okay. Not a ton. That’s just not true. But we do have dozens of lovely books from DAW.

Let’s take a look at them:

  • A hardcover copy of The War of the Flowers by Tad Williams.

I read War of the Flowers a couple years back, just before my own book came out. I enjoyed it, as I do with all of Tad’s work. I especially liked his take on Faeries. I really enjoy it when someone puts a fresh twist on that particular piece of folklore.

“Travel into another dimension is a popular fantasy ploy, but rarely accomplished with such humor, terror and even logic as in this stand-alone by bestseller Williams.” – Publishers Weekly

  • A hardcover set of Inda: Inda, The Fox, King’s Shield and Treason’s Shore by Sherwood Smith.

“The world creation and characterization within Inda have the complexity and depth and inventiveness that mark a first-rate fantasy novel… This is the mark of a major work of fiction…you owe it to yourself to read Inda.” — Orson Scott Card

  • A hardcover set of the Smoke series: Smoke and Shadows, Smoke and Mirrors, and Smoke and Ashes by Tanya Huff.

“A wild romp, full of dark humor, a delightfully twisted version of the usual haunted house story.” – Locus

“A master of urban fantasy.” – Library Journal.

“Sword-Dancer is an admirable introduction to the six-volume adventures of Tiger and Del, one of fantasy’s more popular and appealing odd couples…. Roberson comes out swinging and delivers some dramatically powerful sequences… There’s no denying that by the end of Sword-Dancer, Roberson will have fantasy fans dancing in the streets.” – SF Reviews.net

“With every book, the magic of Jennifer Roberson waxes stronger and stronger. Wrought with an epic mysticism and power, the continuing strands of the Cheysuli saga glimmer with the sheen of excellence as they weave their way into a landmark collection of fantasy literature.” – Rave Reviews.

  • A set of the Coldfire trilogy: Black Sun Rising, When True Night Falls and Crown of Shadows by C. S. Friedman.


I really liked these when I read them about five years back. Friedman does some cool worldbuilding. And best of all, it’s a complete series, so you can read the whole thing beginning to end.

“Friedman has produced a splendid hybrid of sf and fantasy in this first volume of a trilogy. Hauntingly memorable protagonists, high drama, and vivid world-building mark the beginning of what promises to be a magnum opus of the imagination. A priority purchase for fantasy or sf collections.” –Library Journal

“One of the things I like best about MZB’s Darkover novels is the sheer humanity of the characters. It’s rare to find a dislikable character in her books, for even the villains are driven by ordinary, understandable, human emotions. Unlike many science fiction novels, love is central to most of her stories. She understands the motivational power of the love of parents and children, the love between siblings, and, of course, romantic love.” – SF Site Featured Review by Cindy Lynn Speer

  • A copy of The Transformer Trilogy omnibus edition by M. A. Foster.

“Solid, well-written, thoughtful.” – Locus

“Strikingly original.” – Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Review

  • A copy of The Book of the Ler omnibus edition by M. A. Foster.

“Sensitive yet full of action, rich in emotional textures and highly intelligent.” – Library Journal

“A scary and sexy modern-day vampire thriller.” – Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens.

  • A set of the Dragon Prince series: Dragon Prince, The Star Scroll and Sunrunner’s Fire by Melanie Rawn.

“Rawn’s lush world of princes and dragons, sun-born magic, and tangled politics comes to life in this romantic fantasy saga.” – Library Journal

” …an exquisitely crafted novel that appeals not just to sci-fi/fantasy readers, but also to anyone who enjoys a deep study of human nature.” – Midwest Bookreview

  • A set of Esther Diamond novels: Doppelgangster and Unsympathetic Magic by Laura Resnick.


Okay. I know I’m not supposed to judge a book by its cover. But I have to admit that I’m curious to read these books after just looking at them. And no, it’s not because they have a pretty woman on the front. Well, yeah. That’s part of it. But it’s not all of it. These look like a fun read to me.

Plus you have to love the title of the second one….

“Esther Diamond is the Stephanie Plum of urban fantasy! …Unplug the phone and settle down for a fast and funny read. ” — New York Times bestselling novelist, Mary Jo Putney

  • A set of the Heralds of Valdemar trilogy: Arrows of the Queen, Arrow’s Flight and Arrow’s Fall by Mercedes Lackey.

Valerie says:

Arrows of the Queen was the first fantasy novel I ever read, after the Lord of the Rings of course. I must admit that as a nine year old girl, I initially picked up the book because of the cover with the pretty horse but then continued on to devour every single one of her books written in this world. Years later, Arrows of the Queen was the first book I read after arriving in Stevens Point. Pat had a copy in his library and I snitched it one afternoon for some quality comfort-fantasy reading while settling down in a new job and new town.

“The kind of novel that belongs on every fantasy lover’s bookshelf…carefully wrought, entertaining reading by a brilliant and dedicated author.” — The Midwest Book Review

  • A set of The Last Herald Mage trilogy: Magic’s Pawn, Magic’s Promise and Magic’s Price by Mercedes Lackey.

This is another series I read growing up. Then I re-read it again back around 2003. I was surprised how much I still enjoyed it. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case with books you read as a child.

“Lackey’s talent for characterization lends depth to this coming-of-age adventure.” – Library Journal

  • A set of Vows and Honor: The Oathbound, Oathbreakers and Oathblood by Mercedes Lackey.

Valerie says: Lackey uses standard fantasy elements such as the sword and sorcery team to create episodic adventures where bravery and justice triumph and the bad guys get what they deserve, often in humorous and awkward ways.

“…a new series involving a pair of likable, savvy heroines. Sword and sorcery with warmth and humor make this a story that will appeal to most fantasy fans.” – Library Journal

Valerie comment: This is a fun read for any Lackey fan; it takes some of her best elements and characters from the Valdemar series and focuses on the adventures of one particularly awesome female hero.

“Spellbinding storyteller” – Rave Reviews on Mercedes Lackey continuing her epic Valdemar series.

  • A set of Moontide and Magic Rise: World Without End and Sea Without a Shore by Sean Russell.

“Russell has the rare ability to immerse his readers so completely in his tale that reaching the end feels like waking from a particularly vivid dream.” – Nona Vero

“A strange and beautiful book with an unusual depth and nuance of character set forth in lustrous dialogue and prose the texture of honeyed silk.” – Kirkus Reviews

That’s a great blurb. I hope someone uses the words “lustrous” and “nuance” when reviewing my next book.

“Fantasy at its best.” – Quantum

Cherryh is one of those authors I read all the time growing up. She’s got such a great grip on story. What’s more she’s one of the few authors I can think of that walks very lightly back and forth between Fantasy and Science Fiction and does a smashing good job in both genres.

“Cherryh has created her strongest character and her best novel in a story of space exploration, colonization, and war.” —Questar

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. Plus there’s the whole helping make the world a better place thing. That’s nice, too.

Don’t forget, Worldbuilders is matching 50% of all donations. So why not head over to the Team Heifer page and chip in. C’mon. All the cool kids are doing it…

Or, if you want to go back to the main page for Worldbuilders, you can click HERE.

Posted in Worldbuilders 2010 | By Pat19 Responses

More books from DAW

This is a Worldbuilders blog.

Okay folks, time for the rest of the DAW books. This blog has mostly ARCs. (Advance reading copies)

ARCs are cool because sometimes they’re different from the original published book, and quite frequently they’re “Uncorrected” which means that you can find typos in them. Remember, nothing makes you feel more superior than catching an author using “it’s” when it should be “its.”


From Kirkus Reviews, “This smoky mix of magic, legend, people both mythic and real, and the ancient savageries of war supplies a chronological link between Bradley’s The Forest House, set in first-century Britain, and her Arthurian saga, The Mists of Avalon. […] The prose is as smooth as those sacred stones on which so many interesting things take place.”


From Kirkus Reviews, “Bradley poses her heroine a fine set of problems and supplies satisfying answers.”


From Library Journal, “Coauthors Bradley and Lackey combine their considerable talents to illuminate a seminal event in Darkover’s long histroy from both the Terran and Darkovan perspectives. Series fans will welcome this title.”



From VOYA, “As her health declined, Bradley invited coauthor Ross to join her, not in a continuation of her ‘modern’ Darkover novels, but in a return to the Ages of Chaos in The Clingfire Trilogy. This riveting page-turner, full of action and suspense, fleshes out the characters introduced in previous books. Bradley, who died in 1999, could not have left her Darkover creation in better hands. Fans will be pleased, and those new to the world of Darkover have a treat in store for them.”


Booklist calls it, “a high-class addition to Bradley’s Darkover saga.”

  • An ARC of The Burning Heart of Night by Ivan Cat.


SFsite says, “The Burning Heart of Night is a classic-style space opera, with plenty of suspense, sympathetic characters both human and alien, and interesting world building […] It’s entertaining, and the various concepts — the biology of the fugueship, the ecology of New Ascension, the pathology of Scourge — are credibly integrated into the plot.”


Library Journal says, “From Ray Bradbury’s gentle tale of love’s conquest of fear (“The Love Affair”), never before published in the United States, to Michael Moorcock’s ebullient homage to the Mars fiction of Leigh Brackett (“The Lost Sorceress of the Silent Citadel”), the 16 original stories in this collection capture the eternal fascination with the red planet. Including tales by Ian McDonald, Gene Wolfe, and other veteran sf authors, the stories in this volume range from science fantasy to high-tech adventure and belong in most libraries’ sf collections.”


From the back of the book: “What does the future hold for humankind? When we finally break free of this planet to launch ourselves into space on a more permanent basis, what will the classifieds of tomorrow read like? What will be the hottest jobs? Which positions will offer the chance for adventure, advancement, discovery, travel to distant worlds, and the accumulation of wealth?

Here are fourteen stories that answer these questions, tales of the challenges, perils, and responsibilities that workers of the future may have to face – from a librarian who could determine the fate of an alien race … to a pair of space mechanics assigned a repair job for a species that despises humankind … to a ballet instructor who must find a way to tailor human dance forms for a multilimbed sentient being …”


Booklist gave this one a Starred Review, saying, “Farrell’s smashing series outdoes itself with each new volume. This one constitutes a wonderful tale of transformations, personal for Sevei and Kayne, global for the evolving consciousness of two species in conflict. Good enough to be cast in gold.”


From Booklist, “Gilligan’s adventure-romance begins a new series, Silken Magic, set in an alternate seventeenth-century Europe […] Gilligan creates an interesting world and develops it well, fills it with well-constructed characters, and engages them in a plot that definitely keeps one turning pages.”


“these excellent newly made legends are as entertaining and imaginative.” – Booklist


SFsite review by Rich Horton, “Past Imperfect is a themed original anthology on the subject of time travel. The dozen stories included ring some mostly familiar changes on the time travel idea: variations of visiting yourself in the past and fixing things, of falling in love with someone in the past, of visiting the past to collect something valuable when it is still cheap, and of tangling past events into paradoxical knots that seem cleverly resolved to the reader even as the participants are confused.”


VOYA reviews the book, saying that “this futuristic tale, set in the year 2158, is more of a thriller than a sci-fi adventure.[…] Interesting characters, many of them teenagers, populate the story. The dialogue is quite realistic, and Greeno makes good use of romance, humor, and action to keep the story fast paced. The violent action is graphic. Young readers might get bogged down by political intrigue involving the pope and the ayatollah (don’t ask). But the book is exciting, and each chapter’s log entry format-date, time, location-is enjoyable.”


“Fresh, witty and amusing. Great reading for a hot summer night.” -Science Fiction Chronicle


VOYA, “This collection of original short stories about dragons, unicorns, and other legendary creatures finds well-established fantasy authors, such as Jody Lynn Nye, alongside others, including Pamela Luzier McCutcheon, who have never published fantasy fiction. This book will appeal to teens who read fantasy fiction, and it has the potential to be popular with mature Harry Potter fans.”

Includes all-new, original stories by Jody Lynn Nye, Michelle West, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Josepha Sherman, P.N. Elrod, Rosemary Edghill, Gary A. Braunbeck and others.”


From Booklist, “Although the emphasis is on humor throughout the collection, there is enough variety in it to please a broad range of fantasy readers.”


From Booklist, “Given the career of an English boy named Harry, the creation of an American school for magic-workers was inevitable. Not inevitable was that the place be a fount of intelligent, if sometimes lightweight, entertainment.”

“This entertaining blend of fantasy and history…invites comparison with Mary Stewart and Marion Zimmer Bradley.” – Publishers Weekly

  • An ARC of Women Writing Science Fiction as Men edited by Mike Resnick.


Cynthia Ward says, “When an anthology is titled Women Writing Science Fiction as Men, readers expect either stories on the cutting edge of feminist/gender theory, or a tribute to the late James Tiptree, Jr., the female author everyone thought was male. However, the anthology meets neither expectation. It has a different mandate. […] Ccontributors include some big names and hot up-and-comers, among them Kay Kenyon, Mercedes Lackey, Susan R. Matthews, Terry McGarry, Severna Park, Laura Resnick, Jennifer Roberson, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Karen E. Taylor, and singer-songwriter Janis Ian.”


From the back of the book: “In the fifth novel of the Sun Sword series, acclaimed author Michelle West returns to a war-torn world of noble houses divided and demon lords unleashed…”


I actually read this one a couple years ago and really enjoyed it…

“Fast-paced, witty and shrewd … futuristic pulp for the thinking reader … No one who got two paragraphs into this dark, droll, downright irresistible novel could ever bear to put it down until the last heart pounding moment.”- SF Site

“A tongue-in-cheek hardboiled attitude .. good fun for those who can handle the concentrated doses of humor.” – Locus



“Terrific! It’s going to be classic…” – Marion Zimmer Bradley

This is the second blog with DAW’s donations. You can find the first one HERE and the third one HERE.

Remember folks, for every 10 dollars you donate to Heifer International, you get a chance to win hundreds of books like these. Some signed, some limited edition, some out of print. Plus there’s the whole helping make the world a better place thing. That’s nice too.

And don’t forget, I’m matching 50% of all donations made. So why not head over to my page at Team Heifer and chip in. Trust me. You’ll feel great afterward.

Or, if you want to go back to the main page for the Worldbuilders fundraiser you can click HERE.

With thanks to our sponsor, Subterranean Press.

Posted in Subterranean Press, Worldbuilders 2009 | By Pat3 Responses
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