Everyone’s got one.

That secret pile of novels, so very well regarded by the literary world, sitting in a dark corner of their house, sadly neglected despite assurances by so many others that “you’ve got to read them!” It’s a secret Pile ‘o Shame that haunts readers, always calling out longingly to be conquered but always growing bigger.

There’re simply too many novels out there (even if you only count the ones worth reading) for anyone to tackle all of them, and so the pile grows bigger. It’s so shameful that many readers hide it, boastfully playing on Internet message boards and blogs, pretending they’ve read them, or at the very least have given them a meaningful glance – catch them in their lie and they’re quick to exit the conversation.

I thought it would be fun to come out of the closet with my Pile o’ Shame every once in a while, crucifying myself before the masses by laying bare the gaps in my knowledge of the genre. I’ll explain a little of why I haven’t read them before – whether it’s ignorance, taste, fear or otherwise – all in hopes that someone will come along and convince me exactly why a particular novel or series deserves to be the next wiped off my Pile o’ Shame.

So, let’s get this started.
Read More »

Tim Holman, Publishing Director at the US branch of Orbit Books, recently put together an interesting post on why US and UK covers for novels differ and also pulls back the curtain a bit on the process.

Of course there are always exceptions, but I think it’s safe to say that the UK editions of novels generally sport better cover art. It’s interesting to hear from Orbit, who publishes both in the US and the UK, and just why they change the covers for each region, sometimes just subtly, sometimes quite drastically.

You can read the whole thing HERE.

Paper Cuts, a blog by the editors of The Book Review, needs little introduction – hell, they have 194 comments on one post, almost a third the amount of comments on the entirety of A Dribble of Ink – and they’ve certainly earned their reputation. So, needless to say, when they speak up, it’s wise to listen.

Bob Harris, one of the bloggers, recently wrote a funny, informative post listing what he considers the “Seven Deadly Words of Book Reviewing” and it’s definitely worth a look. Here’re are a couple of my favourites:

I’d love to say I was exempt from using these words… but I’m pretty sure I’ve used each and everyone of them at least once in one of my reviews! You can find the whole article HERE.

What words make you cringe when you read them in a review?

Editor’s note: For the record, I must be the only person who would actually use the word eschew in conversation. I guess I’m weird!

Alas, this edition of Free Readin’ contains no full novels, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t damn exciting anyway! What I’ve pulled together here are two early excerpts from some eagerly anticipated novels and the third is a collections of excerpts from one major publishers latest catalog.

Pyr Sampler

Pyr is offering anyone interested 327 pages of free PDF glory. Included in the download are the first chapters from many of Pyr’s most prominent authors:

You can download the Sampler HERE and also download a copy of their catalog HERE. Also be sure to check out their blog, Pyr-o-mania.

R. Scott Bakker

Switching gears a little, R. Scott Bakker, best known for his The Prince of Nothing trilogy, a gritty, dense fantasy, he know brings readers a contemporary thriller, Neuropath. Pat, from Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist, really liked it:

Luckily Fantasybookspot is offering an exclusive peek at the first chapter from the novel, which you can find HERE.

J.V. Jones

Last up is the prologue for the upcoming novel from J.V. Jones, Watcher of the Dead. This is the latest installment of her increasingly long (but still highly regarded) series, Sword of Shadows.

You can find the prologue HERE and also many other excerpts from all her novels HERE.

Over at Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist, a blog I’m sure every single one of my readers is well aware of, Pat started an interesting discussion about current things in the blogosphere and the comments section of the post has turned into a nice, revealing debate about the way blogs work.

Many influential and well known SFF bloggers have dropped by to add their thoughts (Neth from Neth Space, Larry from OF Blog of the Fallen, Wert from The Wertzone, John from Grasping for the Wind, and a whole lot more) and you’ll even see me get a good talking to near the bottom of the page. It’s definitely worth checking out and, no matter where you stand, I encourage you to leave your own thoughts (either here or on Pat’s blog) about the situation. I’m always curious to see what readers think about these issues.

You can check out the whole conversation HERE.

Remember a few weeks ago when Neil Gaiman was having the poll to see which of his novels to give away for free? Remember when American Gods won? Well now now you’re able to read, entirely for free, one of my favourite novels of all time.

Click HERE and get goin’!

Joe Abercrombie, that devilishy handsom fellow who often ekes his way into A Dribble of Ink was invited by SFX magazine to write an article concerning A Game of Thrones and it’s influence on his own writing and the Fantasy genre as a whole.

Until now the article was only available to those who were able to pick up a copy of the print magazine (i.e. not me), but SFX’s Book Club has just recently released a PDF version of it available to the public. It’s definitely worth giving a read and Abercrombie wrote a terrific follow up to the article on his blog.

You can download the article HERE.

By now, most fans of the work, will know that Brandon Sanderson, author of Mistborn, was chosen to complete the final volume of Robert Jordan’s magnum opus, The Wheel of Time. Luckily for us, over at his blog, Sanderson has been detailing his travels as he rereads the first 11 novels in the cycle.

It’s interesting to read the thoughts of someone who is both a fan and, literally, and author of the works. This obviously requires him to tackle the reread in a slightly different manner than most readers and some of his thoughts on the earlier volumes are quite interesting. If anything his comments as he rereads has settled any concerns I might have had that the final volume wouldn’t be handled correctly. He seems determined to stay true to what Jordan originally envisioned and I feel confident that Sanderson will be able to handle the job as well as any author out there.

If you’re a fan of Jordan’s work and find yourself a little skeptical about the final volume, then take the time to look over Sanderson’s blog and maybe he’ll be able to allay some of those fears.

You can find the all of the Wheel of Time related posts HERE.

Much thank to Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist for pointing out the recently revealed covers for George R.R. Martin’s A Dance with Dragons (the UK edition) and Scott Lynch’s upcoming Omnibus (awesomely titled) The Bastards and the Knives, which is a collection of two of his novellas, The Mad Baron’s Mechanical Attic and The Choir of Knives both of which chronicle the world of up and coming fantasy star Locke Lamora.

Check ‘em out!

These are easily two of my most anticipated novels of the year (I’m being optimistic about A Dance with Dragons, so sue me…), so it’s great to get an early peak at these covers. Be sure to take a look at Martin’s Not a Blog and Lynch’s LiveJournal for a good glimpse at the men behind the novels.

Last Argument of Kings

Author – Joe Abercrombie

Paperback
Pages: 544 pages
Publisher: Gollancz
Release Date: March 20th, 2008
ISBN-10: 0575077905
ISBN-13: 978-0575077904

Say one thing for Joe Abercrombie, say he knows how close a trilogy with panache. The final novel in The First Law trilogy, Last Argument of Kings is without a doubt the strongest novel in the cycle and, indeed, one of the strongest finishes to a trilogy I’ve come across in a long time. It’s refreshing to find an author who can not only finish a story in three books (a rarity in the fantasy genre these days, it seems) but to also do so in a satisfying manner.
Read More »

Over at his blog, Ecstatic Days, Jeff Vandermeer has taken the time to give up and coming writers some tips from the heart… or rather, tips from the evil monkey chained to his desk. Always worth listening to, Vandermeer pulls back a little bit of the curtain and says things that most writers probably think, but don’t want to say.

A couple of my favourites:

You can find the whole thing HERE.

Darren over at The Genre Files, a rad SFF blog that you should all be reading, recently had the luck to get a copy of Richard Morgan’s upcoming fantasy The Steel Remains and took the time to do a nice, detailed review of why it kicks so much ass.

This is easily one of my most anticipated novels of this year (despite the fact that I’ve yet even to read any of Morgan’s novels) and I’m intensely jealous of Darren for getting to read a manuscript copy of Morgan’s first try at Fantasy. From all accounts, it sounds like Morgan’s going to bring the same violent, gritty and readable style to fantasy as he did to SF. My frothing anticipation for The Steel Remains grows ever stronger.

Here’s a quote from Darren’s review:

If, like me, your interest in the novel just skyrocketed to even higher heights, you can check out the full review HERE.

In this latest edition of Free Readin’ I offer you a free PDF version of blogger-extraordinaire Jeff Vandermeer’s upcoming novel The Situation!

Okay, so I’m not actually offering it to you, Vandermeer’s publisher, PS Publishing and Wired’s Geek Dad are… but I’m still pointing you in the right direction!

You can find the free PDF version of The Situation (as well as check out a fun interview with Vandermeer) HERE!

Be sure to check out Vandermeer’s terrific blog and if you’re interested in picking up a real hardcopy of the novel you can order that HERE.