Reviewing the interludes

The final book in a series that has been running for nearly 20 years ‘The Silver Mage’ is an epic fantasy novel on a grand scale and i have 2 copies to give away thanks to Harper Collins – Voyager

Drumroll please…the winner as chosen by random.org is Miss Lizzie B from her twitter RT

please email your postal address to ifmusicbetheniam [at] gmail [dot] com so i can send your the prize out

The final book in a series that has been running for nearly 20 years ‘The Silver Mage’ is an epic fantasy novel on a grand scale and i have 2 copies to give away thanks to Harper Collins – Voyager

It’s been well over a week since i announced the competition winners and one of them hasn’t sent me their details for their prize…so i am going to re-draw the competition tomorrow and a different lucky winner will be chosen.

by Alexey Pehov

Synopsis from Amazon: After centuries of calm, the Nameless One is stirring. An army is gathering: giants, ogres and other creatures joining forces from across the Desolate Lands, united for the first time in history under one black banner. By the spring, or perhaps sooner, the Nameless One and his forces will be at the walls of the great city of Avendoom. Unless Shadow Harold, master thief, can find some way to stop them. Shadow Prowler is the first in a trilogy that follows professional thief Shadow Harold on his quest for a magic Horn that will restore peace to the kingdom of Siala. Accompanied by an elfin princess, ten Wild Hearts – the most experienced and dangerous royal fighters – and the King’s court jester (who may be more than he seems …or less), Harold must outwit angry demons, escape the clutches of a band of hired murderers, survive ten bloody skirmishes …and reach the burial grounds before dark. Can he escape a fate worse than death?

Review: Anyone who knows me and my reading habits (or has looked at my book list) knows that i don’t really *do* fantasy novels. So it was with more than a little trepidation that i started Shadow Prowler. Within 5 pages i was utterly hooked. This book is the kind that draws you into its characters, its world and its whole mythos right away and doesn’t let you go again until you’ve finished. Every character that Harold meets has a back story, you know who he has history with and why and you immediately understand if they are friend or foe. By the time the party set out you have people to go with the names on the page and each of those people have something about them you remember. The fantasy elements of the story are woven into the real lives of Harold and his band of ‘others’ so that it doesn’t feel like an alien world, it just feels like this is what happens. The only disappointing thing about this book is that now i have to wait to find out what happens next!

Available in paperback April 2010 – if you don’t buy it, you’re nuts.

Rating: If i could give 6 out of 5 i would

by Maurice Broaddus

Synopsis: On the streets of Indianapolis, the ancient Arthurian cycle is replaying in the lives of rival street gangs. Told through the eyes of King, as he gathers like-minded friends and warriors around him to venture into the fastness of Dred, the notorious crime lord.

Review: This book was hard work to get my head around. There are a lot of characters, all with specific parts to play in the story and the story itself is massively steeped in American gang culture. Having said that – it’s brilliant. The interweaving of fantasy and real ‘hard knock’ life is cleverly done, you’re never sure who is on whose side after the opening section and the gradual revelations of who is fantasy and who isn’t leaves you off kilter in the very best way. The introduction of the Black Zombie fiends near the end makes me wonder why and how and where they fit too.
King’s story is intriguing, even though the synopsis (taken from the back cover) says it’s a re-telling of the Arthurian legend it’s much more than that. A very accomplished beginning to what will hopefully be an equally riveting series.

Published in March by Angry Robot Books

Rating: 4 out of 5

The final book in a series that has been running for nearly 20 years ‘The Silver Mage’ is an epic fantasy novel on a grand scale and i have 2 copies to give away thanks to Harper Collins – Voyager

AND THE WINNERS ARE:

From Twitter – lolopants

from Comments – Maggie Lloyd

(winners chosen by Random.org)

Massive congratulations to you both – please email your postal address to ifmusicbetheniam [at] gmail [dot] com so i can send your the prize out