Fantasy Book News

Four reviews kick off our fantasy blogosphere roundup this week, with reviews of books by Tad Williams, Joe Abercrombie, Ian C. Esslemont and Seressia Glass.  Following this is the fantastic news that HBO has approved A Game of Thrones, so we’ll be seeing something more than a static image soon. A few covers were released this week, for Brandon Sanderson’s The Way of Kings, and Brent Weeks’ The Black Prism. Check out the interview with Brandon for his comments on his new series. I’m not sure I’m into the new photo realistic cover as exhibited on Weeks’ novel; we’ll have to keep an eye on this and see if it becomes a trend. And last but not least, some sort of explanation as to why Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter made the Amazon top 5 yesterday.

• Review: Shadowrise by Tad Williams @ BookGeeks
• Review: The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie @Peter V Brett
• Review: Night of Knives by Ian C. Esslemont @ BSC Review
• Review: Shadow Blade by Seressia Glass @ SciFi & Fantasy Lovin’ News & Reviews
• News: BO greenlights A Game of Thrones @ Airlock Alpha
• News: Terry Brooks sells three more Shannara books @ GalleyCat
• Interview: Brandon Sanderson discusses The Way of Kings @ Suvudu
• Covers: The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson @ Tor
• Covers: The Black Prism by Brent Weeks @ Orbit
• Background: Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter @ Thaindian News

Dead Witch Walking, Dead in the Family and Breaking Dawn hold strong this week, confirming that this vampire in fantasy trend isn’t going away any time soon. And the two newcomers to Amazon’s top 5 fantasy bestseller list this week are…Battle of the Network Zombies, and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter? I think I just threw up a bit in my mouth. At least when I scrolled down past the top 5, I was reassured that Jim Butcher’s latest novel as well as Patrick Rothfuss’ The Name of the Wind are both still selling well, giving me some reassurance that not all hope is lost.

1. Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
2. Battle of the Network Zombies by Mark Henry
3. Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
4. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
5. Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer

A relatively quiet week in the fantasy blogosphere, but we’ve still found a few quality reviews, and some great interviews around the web. Not to mention that I keep getting signals that playing Dungeons & Dragons as a kid probably helped me develop a lot of the skills I use in my professional life today. Check out the post on how playing D&D can help prep you for med school. Great stuff.

• Review: World’s End by Mark Chadbourn @ SF Signal
• Review: Empire by Adrian Tchaikovsky @ Fantasy Book News & Reviews
• Interview: L.E. Modesitt, Jr. @ The Dragon Page
• Interview: Ursula K. Le Guin on the Google controversy @ PBS
• Interview: James Cameron interviewed by Charlie Rose @ Charlie Rose’s blog
• News: Playing Dungeons & Dragons will prepare you for…medical school? @ Blake Charlton’s Blog

Another week of musical chairs, as all five books in the top 5 remain, but Dead Witch Walking trades places with Dead in the Family, and Black Magic Sanction trades off with The Time Traveler’s Wife. Breaking Dawn reaches fifteen weeks in the Amazon Top 5 Fantasy Bestseller list.

1. Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
2. Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
3. Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
4. Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison
5. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Winter is almost here. George R.R. Martin announced that he’s 1,261 pages into A Dance with Dragons, supporting my prediction the novel would be released in 2010, and in general giving me a good feeling all over. Jim Cameron plans to release an Avatar prequel novel in 2010, which he has not begun writing yet. Ambitious, but what do you expect from one of the most ambitious filmmakers in history. Perhaps the the interview of the decade, with R.A. Salvatore interviewing Margaret Weis on her new novel with Tracy Hickman and writing in a world based on role-playing games in general. We cap this week where I turn back my clock an hour here in Brazil by turning back the clock and remembering countless hours spent with the red box, the first in the old Dungeons & Dragons boxed set.

• News: George R.R. Martin 1,261 pages into A Dance with Dragons @ The Guardian
• News: James Cameron to write Avatar novel @ The Celebrity Cafe
• Review: Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie @ A Dribble of Ink
• Review: The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks @ A Fantasy Reader
• Interview: R.A. Salvatore interviews Margaret Weis @ Tor/Forge’s Blog
• Interview: Terry Pratchett @ The Sunday Morning Herald
• Reminisce: Dungeons & Dragons @ Suvudu

Breaking Dawn reaches fourteen weeks in the top 5, with Dead in the Family and The Time Traveler’s Wife both holding strong. Two new entries in the top 5 this week, both from the same author: Kim Harrison. She may be one to watch.

Is it just me, or are the books I’m reading or excited about reading not anywhere near the top 5? Jim Butcher, Robin Hobb, and Brandon Sanderson are all in the top 25, but the trends recently are overwhelmingly toward vampire and undead books. Show you who’s buying books right now. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section.

1. Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
2. Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
3. Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
4. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
5. Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison

We kick off this week with a review of A Feast for Crows over at The Wertzone, and follow it up with reviews of books by Daniel Abraham, Mark Chadbourn, R.A. MacAvoy, and Robin Hobb.

We’ve also got some great interviews this week, featuring Robin Hobb, David Drake, and the first sci-fi author interview we’ve ever highlighted with Daniel Suarez. I heard the interview with Daniel Suarez on The Dragon Page podcast this week, and even though we cover mainly fantasy topics, this interview is just too good to miss. I love the idea of an author knowing more about internet security than the federal government, and will likely check out Daemon.

And finally, the e-book market is getting a bit rowdy, with Amazon and Macmillan doing a bit of bickering over prices this week.

• Review: A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin @ The Wertzone
• Review: A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham @ Only the Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy
• Review: The Silver Skull: Swords of Albion by Mark Chadbourn @ Fantasy Book Critic
• Review: The Book of Kells by R.A. MacAvoy @ ScienceFictionFantasy.blogspot.com
• Review: Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb @ MercuryNews.com
• Interview: Robin Hobb @ SciFiChick.com
• Interview: Daniel Suarez @ The Dragon Page
• Interview: David Drake @ Bookotron
• News: Amazon and Macmillan throw elbows over e-book prices @ The Boston Phoenix

The Time Traveler’s Wife and Flirt swap places, but everything else in the Amazon top 5 remains the same this week. Breaking Dawn reaches thirteen weeks straight in the top 5.

1. Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
2. Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
3. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
4. Flirt by Laurell K. Hamilton
5. Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

We’ve got a boatload of reviews this week, covering everything from more recent titles like The Gathering Storm and Dragon Keeper to young classics such as A Storm of Swords, The Hero of Ages and The Lies of Locke Lamora. The Stormcaller by Tom Lloyd also looks promising, having potentially been looked over in a year when other authors like Scott Lynch were making their big debuts. The Dragon Page recently intervieweed Gail Z. Martin, and Ursula K. Le Guin continues to fight for her rights against Google. We cap off a stellar week with news of an inmate in Wisconsin being prohibited from playing D&D in prison. What will inmates want next, a renaissance festival on prison grounds?

• Review: The Price of Spring by Daniel Abraham @ Fantasy Book News & Reviews
• Review: A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin @ The Wertzone
• Review: The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson @ Unbound
• Review: Arms-Commander by L.E. Modesitt Jr. @ Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist
• Review: The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson @ A Fantasy Reader
• Review: The Stormcaller by Tom Lloyd @ Only the Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy
• Review: The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch @ Intelli-Gent Reviews
• Review: Nightchild by James Barclay @ Fantasy Book News & Reviews
• Review: City of Torment by Bruce R. Cordell @ Fantasy Book Critic
• Review: Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb @ SuperFastReader
• Interview: George R.R. Martin @ Suvudu
• Interview: Gail Z. Martin @ The Dragon Page
• News: Ursula K. Le Guin vs Google @ CBC News
• News: Inmate loses appeal to play Dungeons & Dragons @ NYDailyNews.com

Charlaine Harris continues a strong showing in the fantasy genre, with two books in the Amazon top 5 bestseller list. Breaking Dawn and Flirt also continue to sell well, and The Time Traveler’s Wife surfaces in the top 5 list after eight weeks of hovering somewhere below the top 5 mark.

1. Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
2. Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
3. Flirt by Laurell K. Hamilton
4. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
5. Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris