March Debut Round-Up

Midwinter (US - Canada - UK)
by Matthew Sturges (Website - Blog - Facebook - Forum - Twitter)
Publisher: Pyr (March 24, 2009)
Paperback: 345 pages
Excerpt

Publisher's Blurb:
Winter comes to the land only once in a hundred years. But the snow covers ancient secrets: secrets that could topple a kingdom.

Mauritaine was a war hero, a captain in the Seelie Army. Then he was accused of treason and sentenced to life without parole at Crere Sulace, a dark and ancient prison in the mountains, far from the City Emerald. But now the Seelie Queen – Regina Titania herself – has offered him one last chance to redeem himself, an opportunity to regain his freedom and his honor.

Unfortunately, it’s a suicide mission . . .

Read more at Pyr Books. Matthew Sturges is a former comic book writer for D. C. The author website above takes you to Clockwork Storybook, a group writer blog. Contrary to the "clockwork" part of their name, it does not appear to be a steampunk blog.

Reviews: Fantasy Book Critic - Grasping for the Wind

The Betrayal (US - Canada - UK)
by Pati Nagle (Website - Blog - Livejournal - Twitter - Facebook)
Publisher: Del Rey (March 24, 2009)
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Excerpt

Publisher's Blurb:
The noble and magical aelven were riven by war when a rogue clan embraced a forbidden source of magic: the drinking of blood. In the bitter fighting that ensued, the vampiric Clan Darkshore were cast out of the aelven and driven across the Ebon Mountains. Stripped of their various clan colors, they were thenceforth known only as “alben,” hated and shunned. An uneasy peace now holds over the land, but it is whispered that Shalár, the beautiful and bloodthirsty queen of the alben, is readying a surprise attack to win back all that was lost–and none can say where or when she will strike.

The fate of the clans will depend on two young aelven lovers, Eliani and Turisan, who are blessed with a legendary gift: the fabled power of mindspeech. But this ability comes with great risks. Time is running out as the alben mount their attack–and their ultimate betrayal.

Reviews: Aelven

The review site above takes you to a page of author blurbs. Pati Nagle is a historical novelist making the jump to fantasy. From her bio, she has been a lifelong fan of fantasy and science fiction.

Red-Headed Stepchild (US - Canada - UK)
by Jaye Wells (Website - Blog - MySpace - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads)
Publisher: Orbit (March 31, 2009)
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Excerpt

Publisher's Blurb:
In a world where being of mixed-blood is a major liability, Sabina Kane has the only profession fit for an outcast: assassin. But, her latest mission threatens the fragile peace between the vampire and mage races and Sabina must scramble to figure out which side she's on. She's never brought her work home with her---until now.

This time, it's personal.

Reviews: Darque Reviews - SciFiGuy.ca

The author got a fabulous book deal for this one; congratulations to her! Her name is already familiar to me--she has been very active on Facebook. Raven has already read Red-Headed Stepchild and her review will be appearing later in the week.

Debut Showcase: The Way of the Shadows

The Way of the Shadows (Amazon USA, UK, Canada)
By Brent Weeks (website)
Orbit Books
Mass Market Paperback
Excerpt

The perfect killer has no friends. Only targets.

For Durzo Blint, assassination is an art. And he is the city’s most accomplished artist, his talents required from alleyway to courtly boudoir.

For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he’s grown up in the slums, and learned the hard way to judge people quickly — and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint.

But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and embrace a new identity and name. As Kylar Stern, he must learn to navigate the assassins’ world of dangerous politics and strange magics — and cultivate a flair for death.

Hmm. The cover--wicked as it is--looks like the "look" for Karen Miller's books. So much so, that one might mistake it for a Karen Miller book. I'm sure this isn't intentional. This novel is garnering a lot of positive attention, and at first it looked too dark for me . . . but then I read the blurb for the second book over at novel's website. Now I'm more interested. Hmm. Orbit is releasing the three books in this series in three consecutive months.

Debut Showcase: The Last Wish

The Last Wish (UK, Canada)
by Andrzej Sapkowski (website for role playing game)
Mass Market Paperback
Orbit Books
Excerpt

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.

The international hit that inspired the video game: The Witcher is available for the first time in the US from Orbit.

This is the English Language debut of Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, who, according to this wiki, is quite a successful novelist, and whose novels has spawned a role playing game. This is actually a linked collection of seven short stories. The Wertzone has a review.

Debut Showcase: BLACK SHIPS by Jo Graham

BLACK SHIPS (Amazon USA, UK, Canada)
by Jo Graham (website, blog)
Orbit Books
Trade Paperback
Excerpt

Blurb:

The world is ending. One by one the mighty cities are falling, to earthquakes, to flood, to raiders on both land and sea. In a time of war and doubt, Gull is an oracle. Daughter of a slave taken from fallen Troy, chosen at the age of seven to be the voice of the Lady of the Dead, it is her destiny to counsel kings.

When nine black ships appear, captained by an exiled Trojan prince, Gull must decide between the life she has been destined for and the most perilous adventure—to join the remnant of her mother’s people in their desperate flight. From the doomed bastions of the City of Pirates to the temples of Byblos, from the intrigues of the Egyptian court to the haunted caves beneath Mount Vesuvius, only Gull can guide Prince Aeneas on his quest, and only she can dare the gates of the Underworld itself to lead him to his destiny.

When I saw the cover, it made me think of a 1920's movie star named Clara Bow. My mistake, I guess, because the blurb is straight out of mythology. This is the second ancient-world fantasy debut I've seen in the past two weeks. I love ancient history and I love mythology, so this looks like another good one.

Here's a photo of Clara Bow, the "It Girl."

New Debut - DEBATABLE SPACE by Philip Palmer

DEBATABLE SPACE (USA, UK, Canada)
Philip Palmer (Website -- doubles as a blog)
Orbit
Trade Paperback
Excerpt, Later Excerpt (scroll down)

Blurb:
Flanagan (who, for want of a better word, is a pirate) has a plan. The plan, at first, seems simple. Kidnap the Cheo's daughter, demand a vast ransom for her safe return, sit back and wait.

"The Cheo is ruler of the universe known to mankind.Only, Lena isn't the Cheo's daughter and the plan is far from simple. Fortunately, Flanagan has had a lifetime to work it out. Unfortunately, he has far less time to execute it.

Debatable Space is a space opera of extraordinary imagination, and a brilliantly plotted novel of revenge.

Raven has agreed to review this novel, and Orbit has agreed to send it, so expect to see it in the upcoming weeks.