Monthly Archives: November 2009

Yesterday I brought you the cover art for Under Heaven, the next novel from popular Canadian author Guy Gavriel Kay. Now today, thanks to Alec at Bright Weavings, I have a look at the equally impressive North American cover.

Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay

Taking a more literary route, the North American cover embraces the Asian underpinnings of the novel as surely as the UK cover. Though I enjoy the character art on the other cover, I can’t complain about them being left off here in favour of the armoured horse and the Kanji. This is one of those rare cases where the North American cover art just ekes out the victory. I expect this is one of those novels that will look really sharp when you pick it up in a bookstore. Either way, you really can’t go wrong with whichever version is released in your region.

Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay

I’m a big fan of Guy Gavriel Kay. I’m a sucker for ancient Asian history and mythology. Thus, it goes without saying that I’m absolutely gaga about this novel.

The cover’s nice, particularily the warm tones and the bold placement of author and title. I appreciate the fact that the publisher wasn’t afraid to embrace the Asian influence of the main protagonists, displaying them boldly on the cover and giving an instant impression of what’s within. I don’t love the floating, ghostly buildings, but the overall imagery is nice and manages to be quiet and epic at the same time. It might have been nice to include more of an Asian influence in the design, but it’s also easy to fall into cheesy cliche when stepping into a distinct territoy like that.

You can find a synopsis for the novel HERE.

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David B. Coe, author of The Dark Eyes' WarSFScope brings news of a new deal between David B. Coe and Tor Books:

David B. Coe, writing as D.B. Jackson, sold the first two books in his Thief-Taker Series to James Frenkel at Tor. The Knight Agency’s Lucienne Diver, who made the deal, says the books were “pitched as Harry Dresden meets Sam Adams.”

Under his own name, Coe is the author of the Lon Tobyn Chronicle trilogy, the five-book Winds of the Forelands series, and the Blood of the Southlands trilogy (the third volume, The Dark-Eyes’ War, will be published in February 2010), all of which were published by Tor.

It’s interesting to see Coe taking on a different name for the new series, suggesting it’s perhaps a significant departure from the Epic Fantasy he’s known for. A comparison to Harry Dresden isn’t terribly surprising (or unexpected, given Jim Butcher’s sales numbers), but one wonders if he’s referring to obscure(ish) author Sam Adams or Samuel Adams, leader of the American Revolution and holder of Tea Parties.

UPDATE: Looks like it is the Samuel Adams of Boston Tea Party fame. Blake Charlton explains:

From my WFC chatter w/ David, i think Samuel Adams, of Tea Party fame, is correct. I think it’s set in colonial America.

My anticipation for the series was knocked up a few notches.

God of War

In a mirror image of the news that Richard Morgan is now writing Videogames, it looks like Matthew Woodring Stover, known for his Star Wars novels and The Acts of Caine series, has been pegged to write a novelization of the popular God of War videogame:

For any of you who have discovered you love my work so much you’ll read anything with my name on it, I should mention I have two new tie-in projects coming out next year – the novelization of the Sony game God of War, and a player to be named later (I don’t release project news before the publisher does – I guess I’m just superstitious that way).

Source

Cover art hasn’t been released, but Amazon.ca has a description of the novel:

Offering deeper insights into the critically acclaimed God of War® franchise, this novel returns us to the dark world of ancient Greek mythology explored in the heart-pounding action of God of War I, the bestselling video game.

A brutal warrior, Kratos is a slave to the gods of Olympus. Plagued by the nightmares of his past and yearning for freedom, the Ghost of Sparta would do anything to be free of his debt to the gods. He is on the verge of losing all hope when the gods give him one last task to end his servitude.

He must destroy Ares, the god of war.

But what chance does a mere mortal have against a god? Armed with the deadly chained Blades of Chaos, guided by the goddess Athena, and driven by his own insatiable thirst for vengeance, Kratos seeks the only relic powerful enough to slay Ares . . . a quest that will take him deep into the mysterious temple borne by the Titan Cronos!

From the black depths of Hades to the war-torn city of Athens to the lost desert beyond, God of War sheds a brutal new light on the bestselling video game and on the legend of Kratos.

Any fan of God of War or Stover’s work can rest easy, as both are equally brutal, bloody and visceral enough to complement each other perfectly. In a perfect world, authors like Stover (and Greg Keyes) would be able to work exclusively on original fiction, but it’s also nice to see tie-in fiction from genuinely fantastic authors. With authors like Keyes, Stover Bear and Buckell all working on Videogame Tie-in novels, maybe it’s about time the naysayers start reconsidering.

Matthew Woodring Stover, best known for his contribution to the Star Wars extended Universe, but also the author of the brutal (and under-read) The Acts of Caine series. Br’er Robert isn’t for the faint-of-heart, but should give a good idea of whether Stover’s uncompromising storytelling is up your alley.

Sometimes it’s tears in a shopping mall. Sometimes it’s solemn watching while others play. Sometimes it’s calling for a runaway puppy.

This time it’s the skitter of gravel under bicycle wheels, long after dark.

This time.

 

US 30 unrolled under their wheels like a red carpet to Nebraska, bleached gray by the van’s headlamps. Heavy clouds like boulders in the sky knocked together and rolled apart in their eastbound avalanche. Each glimpse of the huge round moon transformed the highway into a twisted silver spine. Headhigh corn lined the road either side, swaying in the wind like breathing walls in a morphine nightmare.

Frankie slouched down in the passenger seat and slicked his tangled hair back with the sweat from his palms. His imagination was getting away with him again.

“Iowa,” he said, a little too loud. “Breadbasket to the world. God’s country. Buckle on the Bible Belt. Land of cornfed Republicans.”

“Shut up,” Decker said flatly. He squinted at the road through the greasy smoke of the Pall Mall that dangled from his lower lip. Decker didn’t have any imagination at all. Sometimes Frankie admired him for that. “We’re hittin Carroll in about five minutes. Get in back an sit on the littlefuckers.”

You can read the whole story HERE.