last reads

Wolf's Empire: Gladiator by Claudia Christian and Morgan Grant Buchanan Publishing information: Hardback; 496pgs Publisher: Tor; 28 June 2016 ISBN: 9780765337740 Possible series Copy: Provided by Publisher Reviewer: Tyson Amazon Synopsis: "A sweeping science-fiction saga of revenge set in a future in which the Roman Empire never fell, by actress Claudia Christian. When her mother and brother are murdered, young noblewoman Accala Viridius cries out for vengeance. But the empire is being torn apart by a galactic civil war, and her demands fall on deaf ears. Undeterred, Accala sacrifices privilege and status to train as a common gladiator. Mastering the one weapon available to her—a razor-sharp discus that always returns when thrown--she enters the deadly imperial games, the only arena where she can face her enemies. But Fortune's wheel grants Accala no favors—the emperor decrees that the games will be used to settle the civil war, the indigenous lifeforms of the arena-world ...

Red Tide by Marc Turner Publishing information: Hardback; 544pgs Publisher: Tor; 20 Sept 2016 ISBN: 9780765337146 Series: Chronicles of Exile #3 Copy: Provided by Publisher Reviewer: Tyson Amazon Synopsis: "Red Tide, the third volume in Marc Turner's The Chronicles of the Exile, following When the Heavens Fall and Dragon Hunters The Augerans are coming. And their ships are sailing in on a red tide. The Rubyholt Isles are a shattered nation of pirate-infested islands and treacherous waterways shielding the seaboards of Erin Elal and the Sabian League, a region even dragons fear to trespass. The Augerans beseech the Warlord of the Isles, seeking passage for their invasion fleet through Rubyholt territory. But they are sailing into troubled waters. Their enemies have sent agents to sabotage the negotiations, and to destroy the Augeran fleet by any means necessary. The emperor of Erin Elal seeks to forge an alliance with the Storm Lords, hoping to repulse the Augerans with a unite...

Post-Apocalyptic Walkabout By S.C. Flynn Adolescence is rightly considered one of the key periods of human life. The young person has to find out for themselves who they are and what they will become. All this while questioning the values and family they grew up with and re-evaluating their relationship to their peer group, who are going through the same thing. They had something in common that the elders could never have, never share. Our technological Western society tends to leave young people to get through this as best they can. Other cultures take a much more focused approach. One of these is the traditional Aboriginal culture of Australia. I am a descendant of white European settlers in Australia, so I can not hope to fully understand the complexities of Aboriginal culture; I grew up in the country, though, and have always been interested in it. One aspect that still intrigues me is the adolescent-to-adult transition often known as the Walkabout. The young person goes off on the...

The Godless by Ben Peek Publishing information: Paperback; 576 pages Publisher: Tor; 12 Feb 2015 ISBN: 978-1447251286 Series: Children #1 Copy: Provided by publisher Reviewer: Tyson Amazon Synopsis: "Ben Peek's The Godless is the first in the Children Trilogy; an epic fantasy series with a gripping plot and unforgettable characters. The Gods have fallen but their powers live on ...Fifteen thousand years after the War of the Gods and their corpses now lie scattered across the world, slowly dying as men and women awake with strange powers that are derived from their bodies. While some see these powers as a gift - most call them a curse. When Ayae - a young cartographer's apprentice in the city of Mireea - is trapped in a burning building, she is terrified as a dormant power comes to life within her. The flames destroy everything around her but she remains unscathed - fire cannot touch her. This curse makes her a target for the army marching on her home - an army determined t...

The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell Publishing Information: Paperback; 384 pages Publisher: HarperCollins; 26 Dec 2006 ISBN: 978-0061144837 Series: The Saxon Tales #2 Reviewer: Tyson Amazon Synopsis: "The second installment of Bernard Cornwell’s bestselling series chronicling the epic saga of the making of England, “like Game of Thrones, but real” (The Observer, London)—the basis for The Last Kingdom, the hit BBC America television series. This is the exciting—yet little known—story of the making of England in the 9th and 10th centuries, the years in which King Alfred the Great, his son and grandson defeated the Danish Vikings who had invaded and occupied three of England’s four kingdoms. At the end of The Last Kingdom, The Danes had been defeated at Cynuit, but the triumph of the English is not fated to last long. The Danish Vikings quickly invade and occupy three of England’s four kingdoms—and all that remains of the once proud country is a small piece of marshland, where Alfr...

Speculative Book Review is proud to present an excerpt from Matthew Delaney's Black Rain Available now at Amazon . Black Rain~ The security men had advised against it. Or at least Greeley had. But Greeley advised against most things. Like taking walks, sitting by open windows, and eating in restaurants. He’d be against meltwater, Synthate shopping, and visiting pleasure parlors, if he thought anyone would pay attention. The secret to getting along with Greeley was to listen to his advice, nod, then do whatever it was you planned on doing. Only do it when he wasn’t looking. Greeley wasn’t looking now, so Martin Reynolds slid his hand around Betsy’s waist. “Don’t!” Her hand met his. “You’ll crush my wings.” “I’m sorry, my angel.” Her wings were little lacy ones, extending out from the back of her tightly fitted white dress. Reynolds slid his arm down the side of his wife’s thigh instead. The big clock on the wall chimed eleven, barely audible over the sound of the band. What Greeley ...