Outlander

Author – Diana Gabaldon

Paperback
Pages: 896 pages
Publisher: Dell
Release Date: June 1st, 1991
ISBN-10: 0440242940
ISBN-13: 978-0440242949

In the never ending quest to get my girlfriend to read some good Fantasy Literature, I often myself have to make some concessions and read some of the books that she loves and raves about. This is how I came to read Outlander, the first volume in Diana Gabaldon’s ongoing series revolving around time-travelling Claire Beauchamp and to-good-to-be-true Jamie Fraser.

One major misconception I had going in to the novel, just like many other male readers out there, I imagine, is that Outlander was a book for chicks – a romance novel only found in the regular fiction section because of it’s incredible success.

Boy was I wrong.
Read More »

I just thought some of you might be interested in what Jeff is doing over at his blog, Fantasy Book News & Reviews. In the face of a new baby (congrats, Jeff!), he’s decided that instead of spending the little time he has reading and writing reviews, he would instead become an index for all the different reviews available on the myriad of Speculative Fiction blogs out there.

The index is a little sparse right now, but it shows a lot of promise and once he fills out the content with more blogs, it’s sure to be a great resource for those looking to hunt down reviews of the novels they’re looking to read. He’s planning on going back at least two years for each blog, so he’s sure to have a huge breadth of novels in no time!

If you’re interested, you can check out the Author Review Index HERE.

And the winner of the Advance Reader Copy of Terry Brooks upcoming Graphic Novel, Dark Wraith of Shannara is…

*Drumroll*

Teresa Warner

Congratulations, Teresa! I’ll be dropping it in the mail for you on monday! This giveaway was a huge success, with an impressive number of submissions! Thanks to all who entered.

Patrick Rothfuss, acclaimed author of The Name of the Wind, has taken some flak in the recent weeks after it was announced that his second novel, The Wise Man’s Fear, would miss its April 2008 release date. This was especially aggravating when Rothfuss and his publisher, DAW, indicated that the second and third books were finished even before they signed Rothfuss.

Well, Rothfuss has come out with a post on his official blog about the matter and, to be frank, if the delay doesn’t seem fair after reading the reasoning behind it, you’ve no heart at all.

You can find the whole explanation HERE.

My best wishes go out to Pat and his family and I, for one, will be as patient as needed to give Pat the time he needs to make the novel as perfect as possible.

UPDATE – April 13th, 2009: For a more recent look at the delays behind The Wise Man’s Fear click HERE.

Pat, from the Fantasy Hotlist, recently dug up the (completely awesome) cover art for Richard Morgan’s upcoming foray into the Fantasy genre.

Enjoy!

I’ve got to say, if his novel is anywhere near as cool as the cover, then we are in for a treat. You can check out Morgan’s web site HERE.

In celebration of their tenth year in publishing, EOS, Robin Hobb’s current US publisher, is giving away a free e-version of the first novel in her latest series, The Soldier Son Trilogy, called Shaman’s Crossing

Hobb is one of the premier authors in the fantasy genre and, in my opinion, Shaman’s Crossing, is well worth the read, especially at that price!

You can head HERE to find out more about the book and take EOS up on their offer!

Over at the official Terry Brooks Forum (Link), I just stumbled across the cover art for Steven Erikson’s upcoming novel, Toll the Hounds.

I’m not sure what I think about the new direction they’re taking with his covers (as compared to the UK/Canadian covers, not the horrendous US covers), but hopefully it helps him in the sales department! Lord knows he deserves to be read by a wider audience!

Pat, from the wonderful Pat’s Fantasy Hot List (check it out!), just released details of a press release concerning Steven Erikson, his Malazan series, and all the fun stuff that will be going on in 2008!

Here’s what he had to say:

I know I’m not the only one excited for what’s sure to be a breakout year for Steve!

Hot on the heels of the first graphic novel release by Terry brooks, Dark Wraith of Shannara (REVIEW), The Beat is reporting that Del Rey has announced that they will be releasing a graphic novel written by Diana Gabaldon, staring her famous duo, Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser.

This is exciting news to me, for I’m currently reading her first novel, Outlander, and it’s safe to say you’ll be reading a very positive review of it soon! I think Gabaldon’s version of Scotland is the perfect setting for a graphic novel, but I’m curious to see how they handle all the sex!
Read More »

When I first began A Dribble of Ink I decided early on that I was going to keep most of my personal, writing life out of the picture. I wanted to present a professional publication that focused on bringing great content to my readers and not a tool to further my budding career as a writer.

I’m proud to say I think I’ve done quite well at this.

However, that itch to speak about myself and have an outlet to think outloud about my writing is still there and so I have created another blog, Mightier than the Sword as a means to flex my creative muscles and also let some of my readers, those who are interested, know more about me and my writing.

I hope it will be a fun, informative place where I can pontificate about my experiences as an aspiring writer, similar to what Shawn Speakman and many other authors are doing. I’ll be posting everything from Short Fiction, sample chapters and simple musings on writing over there, so if you think you’re interested, check it out HERE!

After the success of my last giveaway (signed copies of The Bonehunters by Steven Erikson), I decided it was time for a new giveaway!

This time I’ve got my hands on an ARC (Advance Review Copy) of Terry Brooks’ upcoming graphic novel, Dark Wraith of Shannara, and item any Shannara fan would love to get their hands on early!

To enter is easy:

- Email darkwraith@(no-spam)aidanmoher.com [remember to remove the (no-spam) thingy!]
- Put Dark Wraith Giveaway! in the subject line.
- In the body of the email please include:
     Name
     Snail mail address
     Where on the ‘net you can be found (message boards, blogs, etc…)
- Send away!

The submission deadline is January 18th, 2008.

You can find my review of Dark Wraith of Shannara HERE! Also, keep your eyes out for an interview with Terry Brooks, Edwin David (the Illustrator) and Robert Place Napton (the Adaptor) in the coming weeks!

Shawn Speakman, that aspiring writer and terrific blogger, just posted the prologue to his current work-in-progress, The Dagda King.

Shawn explains the drive behind the story on his blog:

If you’re interested, you can head over to his WEBSITE and download the prologue for yourself!