Ian Rankin's best story ever

The Inspector Rebus books are thrilling crime fiction novels, with a central dark hero - Rebus.
Ian Rankin's brainchild of a series and I've just discovered one reason for the books being so realistic - 


Ian Rankin visited India on a tour or something, and he was on radio in Chennai while we were there - which is why I picked his books up initially.

Girl Genius! New book coming out

The most vibrantly coloured, vividly-told steampunk Webcomic out there - Girl Genius - is releasing book 2 in 10 days. 


Let the countdown begin!

I read this everyday, usually right after lunch - it is such a nice jolt to start the second half of the day with.


The store link - http://us.macmillan.com/girlgeniusomnibusvolumeone/PhilFoglio
Blurb: 
"The Industrial Revolution has become all-out war! Mad Scientists, gifted with the Spark of genius, unleash insane inventions on an unprepared Europe. For centuries, the Heterodyne family of inventors kept the peace, but the last Heterodyne disappeared twenty years ago, leaving their ally Baron Klaus Wulfenbach to maintain order with his fleet of airships and army of unstoppable, if not very bright, Jaeger Monsters. 

At Transylvania Polygnostic University, Agatha Clay dreams of being a scientist herself, but her trouble concentrating dooms her to be a lowly minion at best. When her locket, a family heirloom, is stolen, Agatha shows signs of having the Spark in a spectacular, destructive fashion and captures the attention of the Baron—and the Baron’s handsome young son, Gilgamesh."

Jaipur Lit Fest - Banned and broken

The fracas over the Jaipur lit fest has sort of died down now, so perhaps it is time for a look at what actually happened?
If you don't know what I'm talking about - Jaipur is in India, a town known for a rich, majestic heritage in the arts. Each year, it hosts the largest lit fest in South Asia.
The annual Literature festival held there was in a storm of controversy this year.


Couple of anticipated highlights was Oprah's hour-long interview and visit at the festival, and Salman Rushdie's presence.


While Oprah's interview was truly interesting, Mr. Rushdie's visit was not permitted due to a few fanatics who (possibly never having read his books) protested loudly! 
His book, Satanic Verses, has been banned in India for a few decades - again, religious views triumphed over literature.


Result? No talk, no telecast and no freedom of speech.
Some 4-5 authors read out sections of his book in protest, but that was also not encouraged by the fest's organizers.


A sad show, all around.


More info:
http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2012/01/26/indian-media-reacts-to-rushdie-row/
http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2012/01/24/security-fears-quashed-rushdies-jaipur-video/

Avatar: The Last Airbender Comics!!!

I really do thank God for NetGalley ALL The Time.
One more reason why: Getting to read Avatar comics pre-release!
Rating: A
What Avatar The Last Airbender (A:TLA) comic is: "The Promise Part 1" is a beautifully done story, by the same Mike DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the creators of the popular TV series.

Why I picked it up: You might know we've been doing an Avatar Watch/Rewatch at home of the comic series,we're in the middle of Season 3: Fire (the last season, FYI). I read that this comic takes up where the comic series leaves off.

Why I finished it: Seeing Sokka, Aang, Momo, Appa and the gang and the breathtaking coloring resulted in one long session of reading this comic. I tried to draw it out but just couldn't resist finishing the story.

The Story: Written by Gene Lang, the good people at Dark Horse (the publishers) have stayed true to the original theme of the comics. Without spoilers, here's what you get - 
Awesome fight scenes and peace talks that break down. The innocent fun we expect of Aang, and the intense Zuko scenes.Serious Aang features too. Furious and awe-inspiring Katara. Scenes with bit characters like Smellerbee (remember him/her? He was in Season 2, with the refugees)


Extra info: 
I found Gene's website and it added some interesting context to this comic - why he wrote it the way he did, how he refuses to acknowledge Night Shyamalam's movie version of Avatar as canon (Dear Gene, we all hate his movie too).

A Memory of Light - Draft done!

Brandon Sanderson tweeted saying he's done with draft one of A Memory of Light, the final Wheel of Time book!

We know that he isn't touching parts of the story that have already been written by Robert Jordan. We also saw a lot of improvement between the previous two books, and certainly we shall see a fantastic series ending novel!

There is a lot happening in the books just now, building towards the climax - Rand's mind is whole, the men's Black Tower is a crazy place, Semirhage, Graendal, Mesaana lie defeated, the White Tower stands united; On the flip side, Moridin's grand plan is yet unveiled, the Aiel undead is a surprise twist, we still don't know the song the Leaf People have (and perhaps the travellers are looking for...) AND MORE. There are tons of unresolved questions and prophecies, so this book is really going to have a lot riding on it.
Second half of 2012 is the release!


You can read my review of Towers of Midnight here
Read a review of The Gathering Storm here
Never heard of the Wheel of Time before? Go right here!

Holmes for the Holidays

The recent Holiday vacation season gives me a week off, and I've just spent a large chunk of it reading Laurie King's Sherlock Holmesian mysteries. I'm still on the first one, and it is pretty interesting!
This Holmes reading time coincides with the recent spate of promotions around the newest Sherlock Holmes movie by Guy Ritchie...AND far more interestingly, the trailer for the BBC Holmes is out - I present to you: Steven Moffat's brilliantly rendered Sherlock series (part 2) beginning 01.01.12

P.S. This is my first embedded video on this blog, so do let me know if it does/doesn't work in your browser. We loved watching the first series (split into three parts as it airs on BBC). Each part corresponds to one of the Sherlock mysteries from the Arthur Conan Doyle books. Very different from Guy Ritchie's Sherlock, and a "must see"!

Neil Gaiman and The Sandman novels/comics

The amazing Neil Gaiman is back with "The Annotated Sandman" - the first volume is out Jan 10th from Vertigo Comics.
If you haven't heard or read The Sandman comics yet - I would HIGHLY, highly recommend that you go find them at your nearest library right now. I would say book store or library, but they were always too expensive for my then-student's pocket.
Blurb from The Sandman: 

Meet the Endless, a family of immortals that govern all aspects of life and death throughout the universe. However, one of theirown lays captured--Dream, the Lord of Sleep. As Dream makes his escape and returns to his duties after 70 years of imprison-ment, he encounters countless characters from myth, legend and comics, from Lucifer himself to the tragic Greek hero Orpheusto the HELLBLAZER John Constantine.

Right. The blurb tells you nothing.

It doesn't say that the Sandman graphic novels are amongst the most creative works of art you will ever see, anywhere. Just wait till you get into Book 2, and begin to see the genius of the story and characters!


The Annotated Sandman will do a page-by-page discussion on each Sandman comic. The first three pages are available here at tor.com, and we get a sense of the crazy detail and historical references that the Annotation covers.
Read this only after you read Sandman, this would be a great second/third read of the Sandman comics.

Not feeling so well today

I meant to have a nice post today about one of my latest reads (I've been re-reading Elizabeth Moon, and reading Rick Riordan for the first time), but I'm feverish and lethargic.

Perhaps the new Avatar:The Last Airbender Comic I got courtesy NetGalley will be entertaining enough? 
It picks up where the anime series from Nickelodean ends, and is by Gene Luen Yang. I sure hope so!

SFF = Science fiction & fantasy

The weirdest conversation I've been in recently started with me talking about my love for SFF novels, and then degenerated into "Oh, SFF stands for...".


Really, how do you describe fantasy to someone who seems to think it is only Twilight or Harry Potter?
Sounds juvenile any way you do it.
*sigh* This is how I felt: (see picture ->)


Help?

P.S. I do read YA too, and Harry Potter is awesome. I'm not saying that I think YA is juvenile, just that Fantasy does include other styles of writing too.

Missing: One McCaffrey

The recent passing (21st Nov,2011) of Anne McCaffrey will affect all SFF readers everywhere. While she isn't my "all time fav" author, her books have been part of my reading repetoire, and I'm sure, part of many other scifi-fantasy lovers' reading lists.


Her DragonRiders of Pern stories defined dragons in books, and set the bar for other authors to beat. While reading her books now might feel a little trite, it is only because she was the first to write in that style, and has been inspiration for many other popular writers.
A good place to start would be the Harper Hall books.


Not just Pern: If you haven't read any non-Pern McCaffrey books, may I suggest the Acorna series, or the Planet Raiders series, or the Crystal universe. Yes, she was a prolific writer with a long career!


Need inspiration?
Here are some of the best covers, in a Tor post written by the cover illustrator himself, Michael Whelan: 
The Inspiration of Anne McCaffrey (Tor.com)

Teaser Tuesday - Fury 02 - Green-Eyed Envy

The Teaser Tuesday is back - after a couple of months of no memes here on E-Volving Books.
I just finished Drink Deep (Merit, an UF Vampire series) and am halfway through the second book in a Fury series by Kasey Mackenzie. I picked it up because an urban fantasy around Furies was new, and thought it might be worth checking out.
 
"Recognition hit Harper like a punch to the stomach. She staggered a crooked step back, brushing up against Scott behind her and Penn to her right."
 
Mini Review:
The first book was decent, but this novel isn't nearly as kick-ass. The heroine isn't going full fury-mode and fighting very much so far. The mystery she is solving doesn't appear to require typical detective skills, and the plot devices are weak.
My rating: Meh.

***

To join into the TT fun, visit the link below!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Kindle Fire - Launched 15th Nov!

The big giant Amazon has launched the Kindle Fire, a Tablet!
There's been tons of speculation on the divide between the Kindle and a full-throttle tablet - or more commonly, "Kindle vs.iPad".
This isn't a surprise - Barnes & Nobles launched the Nook Color, and the news around the Amazon competitor launch has been all over the place.
Retailing at $199, reviews rave about the reading and store-browsing ease, but say that the browser is laughable.

This ties in with  my experience of the Kindle - works great for reading, but the browser is "experimental" and weak.


MY personal checklist on ebook readers/tablets has to be battery life and overall weight of the device. I'd like to go for days without recharging - hours of reading shouldn't take a toll on my hands or my device.
Sadly, it looks like those two qualities aren't to be found in the Kindle Fire.


Overall, Amazon should be more concerned that they will cannibalize sales of the Kindle Dx - Most customers would pick the iPad/Blackberry Playbook/Samsung Galaxy Tab over the Kindle Fire.

Buying the new Kindle - For Indians

The 6" Wifi-only Kindle is only $139, but we Indians like even better deals. The same Kindle, with the ads or as is officially known, "Kindle with Offers" retails at $114, or about $25 cheaper. That works out to $25 or Rs.1000+ off. Worth it? Let's find out!

1. In India, the 3G version will anyway not be used, as the 3G network is not supported for free. WiFi only will suffice, as long as your home is enabled.
2. These offers/ads only show up on the main screen or when the "sleep" mode is enabled.

What does that mean for you?
To begin with, most Kindle readers will not need to switch the WiFi on. Personally, I prefer to switch the WiFi off and so prolong battery life (atleast 15-20 reading hours).


You can use Calibre to organize and share books with your Kindle. 
 Download, Convert and Send to Kindle, all in one!


Thanks to Sumit for asking the question that prompted this post!

A fresh look?

The new dynamic template that Blogger has released made me curious enough to test drive it for a week or so.
It is way more sober (boring?) compared to my previous orange and book-themed look, but perhaps also more professional. 
Let me know what YOU think - I am still concerned that the "Friends and Followers" section has disappeared. While I'm working on customizing this a little, why not explore?

Review: Touch of Power by Maria Snyder

In this new yet-to-release series by Maria Snyder, of Poison Studies fame, we explore a world that has turned against healers. I've enjoyed all her other books so far - they have strong, principled heroines, who end up key to the battle between good vs. evil.
Publication Date: 27th December, 2011

The Story:  A terrible plague has wiped out large swathes of peoples across the country, and the kingdom has dissolved into several weakened states. Each healer who tried healing a plague carrier died in turn of the plague. With only 100 healers or so in the guild, the Healers Guild proclaimed that they would not heal the plague carriers, and instead tried to find the cure. However, this proclamation resulted in massive anti-healer sentiment, and began a wide scale persecution of the healers. Now only one healer remains - Avry.

Avry has been on the run, but now must choose sides in the war for the weakened states. The power plays between the various contending factions mean that a healer is a valuable piece on the board, and Avry's choice plays a key factor in which faction might eventually triumph.

Plus:Avry and other characters are really interesting to read, and their motivations unveil gradually as the plot develops. I'm keen to read more about them, if there are other books planned. She keeps her secrets to herself, which is a nice refreshing change from heroines that blurt them out to the first hero that comes along!

Minus:  I'm seeing a lot of fantasy that has pages and pages dedicated to travel, travel rations and the countryside - it seems to be a staple of the genre, but I'd like to see something creative here!

Overall: A solid, engrossing tale.

You can read an earlier review of Maria Snyder's Storm Glass here

Thanks to Harlequin and NetGalley for providing the review copy.

Guest Post: Jeremy Robinson and Kindle Giveaway

Welcome to Jeremy Robinson’s Great Kindle Giveaway and Blog Tour.

“Hurray for free Kindles!” you say, but who the hell is Jeremy Robinson? Allow me to introduce myself. I’m the author of eleven mixed genre novels, published in ten languages, including the popular fantasy YA series, THE LAST HUNTER, and the fast-paced Jack Sigler series (also known as Chess Team—not nearly as nerdy as it sounds), PULSE, INSTINCT and THRESHOLD from Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press. I’m the co-author of an expanding series  of novellas deemed the Chesspocalypse, which take place in the Chess Team universe. If that doesn’t wet your whistle, I’m also known as Jeremy Bishop, the #1 Amazon.com horror author of THE SENTINEL and the controversial novel, TORMENT. For more about me, or my books, visit www.jeremyrobinsononline.com.

I have watched for years as my fellow authors held online events called blog tours. Some would visit ten blogs. Others, as many as ninety. And every day they would bring something different, waxing eloquent about a multitude of topics. When I finally decided to have a blog tour of my own, and settled on doing each and every weekday in October, my first thought was, “This will be cool,” which was immediately followed up by, “Holy crap, I can’t think of something interesting to say twenty times in one month!” I can barely think of something worthwhile for my own blog just once a month. The solution is what follows; each blog participating in the tour could ask me ANY three questions. That means, if the subject matter bores you, I’m not to blame! Huzzah!

But fear not. There are other rewards for sloughing through the questions and answers. I’ll be giving away two Kindles to two randomly selected readers who sign up for my newsletter. Details on the giveaway can be found below. On to the Q&A!

1. What were your favorite memories of writing your latest book?

The last novel I wrote was THE SENTINEL under the Jeremy Bishop pen name. In general, my favorite moments of any novels are those that get a reaction out of me while I’m writing, whether that be squirming in disgust, feeling angry, crying, or laughing out loud. Those are the scenes I know are going to be good, and they’re usually the ones I hear about. In THE SENTINEL there were a lot of laugh out loud moments because the books was written in first person and the main character, Jane Harper, is sarcastic. But the best moment in the book, for me, made me squirm. I don’t want to give the details of the scene away, but there is a moment when the…loose veil hiding the awful truth is torn away—physically. That’s incredibly vague, but I’d love to hear from readers who think they’ve found it.

2. You took a bold step, going at the entire publishing route on your own - did you have someone who mentored you through this process? Did it feel like a risk?

Learning how to self-publish, and self-publish right has been a long learning process. But it’s not unfamiliar to me. I first self-published in 2005, before e-books were on anyone’s radar. That first book sold very well and I started a small press, Breakneck Books, which has morphed into Breakneck Media. I changed the name because I now produce print books, e-books, audiobooks, iPhone apps and iPhone games. I became a “mainstream author” in 2009 when I signed a three book deal with Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press, and have since signed on for another two books. So I’ve got my greedy hands in both cookie jars right now, having one hardcover novel published every year and putting out a slew of self-published books as well.

As for the learning process, it’s trial and error. My first cover was good, but not great. My first books were riddled with typos. I now hire an editor. I’ve learned to keep my standards really high to ensure that the books I’m producing are indistinguishable from the big publishers. But the publishing landscape is changing fast and I’m finding myself having to adapt constantly. I’m never not learning something new, whether it is cover design techniques (I do most of my covers), e-book format, online marketing and even storytelling. So, I really went it alone. And I actually recommend that. What works for one author might not work for another. Each author has to discover their own techniques, their own niche, audience and voice. Experience trumps “schooling” any day.

***

Hope that was as good for you as it was for me. Now how about that kindle giveaway?

Here’s the deal: to be entered to win one of two free kindles all you have to do is visit my website—www.jeremyrobinsononline.com—and sign up for the newsletter. That’s it. The first kindle will go to a randomly chosen newsletter signup on October 31. For the second kindle, there’s a catch. The second giveaway will only be triggered if one of my kindle books hits the Amazon.com bestseller list (top 100). So pick up some books (most are just $2.99 a pop) and spread the word! If one of the books squeaks up to #100 for just a single hour, the second kindle will be given away to another randomly chosen newsletter sign up on October 31.

*When you sign up for the newsletter, be sure to include the name of the blog that referred you in the field provided. I’ll be giving away two $50 Amazon.com gift certificates to the blog that refers the most sign-ups and another to the blog who referred the first kindle winner.

** I will announce winners via Twitter, Facebook, my blog, and newsletter (which you will be signed up for!) but I’ll also e-mail the winners directly—I’ll need to know where to ship those kindles!

Thanks for spending some time with me today. Hope you enjoyed the Q&A, and good luck with the kindle giveaway!

-- Jeremy Robinson

Teaser Tuesday: Alpha & Omega 02 by Patricia Briggs

I'm in a re-read mood now, and this will always make me turn to the best Urban Fantasy authors out there - Patricia Briggs, Ilona Andrews, Jim Butcher, Kim Harrison and others.

This teaser is from Patricia Briggs' fantastic Alpha & Omega books (werewolf), Book 2 - Hunting Ground:

"What would it feel like to love music as she did and not be able to sing or play? Or worse, to be proficient but never cross the line between a collection of notes and pitch and rhythm to real music?
To know that you were missing it by just a hair but have no idea how to take it from metronome correctness to power and true beauty."

- said by Anna, the rare Omega wolf.
Mini Review:
I love Patricia Briggs! I hope you pick up one of her books - the Mercy series is intriguing with a strong female lead, she has some interesting couplet books (2 books per series) titled Hurog something, Raven something...you know how the naming convention works in sequels, right?
These Alpha & Omega books narrowly overlaps the Mercy series, you will see some familiar characters in greater depth. Solid action-packed sequences, and character-building of a rape victim and more! Come read.

***

To join into the TT fun, visit the link below!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Giveaway - Win Two Kindles!

The author Jeremy Robinson will be writing a guest post on this blog in two days, as part of his October blog tour.
If you sign up for the newsletter, you get a chance to win one of two brand new kindles!

Review: Terry Pratchett's Snuff - Discworld #39

Genre: Satire, Fantasy, Police/Detective work

Grade: A+ (gold standard)

Why I picked it up: Because Pratchett is a god of writing and I will blindly read anything he writes, anticipating some daft comedy.

The Story: Terry Pratchett's latest Discworld novel features Sam Vimes forced to visit the family countryside Manor by his wife. Out of his comfort zone of the streets of Ankh Morpork, Vimes sets out to explore the pastoral village with his son, 6 year old Young Sam. 
 Taking the hero into a new location and having a murder happen is a tried and tested plot device (think Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers). This is even better here in Discworld, as the location is just like pastoral England, but with Goblins! He gets mixed up with local magistrates, a one-man constabulary - and wins the day after a chase across caves, land and a wild river; what fun!

I loved the tongue-in-cheek reference to Jane Austen that was sneaked into Sam's meetings with the local populace.
(Read and find out!) 

I'd recommend this to:  Everyone!
Please remember, you can read this series out of order - don't be intimidated by the sheer number of books in Discworld!
Digital galley received courtesy of NetGalley & Harper Collins Publishers. 

Where do you go for reading suggestions and inspiration?

Just as writers are familiar with writer's block, all readers go through dry periods of no reading  - does this sound familiar to you?

When your favorite author's books are all read, when a long fantasy series is completed, when your library just seems to far away to go to, or when you don't have that ONE great book to read, what do you do?
Do you put away reading for a while and turn to something else; focus on work or a hobby for that evening or week, maybe?

I end up randomly browsing news sites, or Amazon, looking for new authors or books. Still, I've recently found NetGalley to be a fount of inspiration! Just that thrill of reading books prior to their release is enough to get me started up again.
Another good source of recommendations and ideas are the lists at GoodReads, usually if you pick a genre, you are bound to get author suggestions. LibraryThing also works for a lot of people. And of course, the tried and true method of asking a friend IRL!
Where do YOU go for that reading itch?

Top 10 books lost to TIme

The Smithsonian Mag has an interesting article on the Top 10 books that have been lost over the years - including several books that formed part of the Bible.

The list also includes the "holy grail" of Shakespeare lovers - his missing play Cardenia.
Read at the source below for the entire list:


http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/The-Top-10-Books-Lost-to-Time.html