Posts Tagged: Free Reading

The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch

Every Friday, Suvudu runs a feature called 50 Page Friday. It doesn’t take a genius to guess that they post the first fifty pages of a book, free of charge, to get you hooked. You know, like a drug dealer. This past week, they released a sneak peek at one of the year’s most anticipated novels: The Republic of Thieves.

Over on Suvudu, Lynch’s editor discusses the novel and why the rabid anticipation is justified:

I have said before that a good editor, like a good mom, tries not to play favorites. But sometimes you just can’t help it. Twice in my career, the same thing has happened to me—albeit with two different authors. Because twice I have received the first 100 or so pages of as-yet-uncompleted epic fantasy novels on submission, and twice I have felt that special shiver of gut-deep excitement and sheer acquisitiveness that said: This is something TRULY special. I must own this, and edit this. Like…NOW!

The first time I felt that was when I was given the first few chapters of a what would one day grow into A Game of Thrones. And the second time? Well, that was when I first encountered Scott Lynch. As with George Martin, I fell instantly in love with Scott’s words and Scott’s world, and then suffered (in not-quite silence) for the next year before I could finally discover What Happened Next!

The Lies of Locke Lamora is, to my mind, one of the world’s almost perfect books. It is epic, dramatic—almost operatic in its sense of glory and tragedy—and yet laugh aloud funny when it is not making you weep. The characters and the world are as memorable as any you will ever see on paper, and the concept alone—that of con men operating in a fantasy world that has never really encountered the art of the con—is sheer brilliance.

I’ll have a review of The Republic of Thieves soon, but, as a little sneak peek of my own, I’ll just say that I enjoyed the novel immensely and, despite my high expectations (and cautious optimism), Lynch impressed me with his ability to evolve the formula that worked so successfully in The Lies of Locke Lamora (if not so well in Red Seas Under Red Skies), and produced a novel that reminded me of why I fell in love with his world, characters and fiction so easily in the first place.

You can read the first 51 pages of The Republic of Thieves on Scribd… then, once you’re done that, you can salivate over the idea that the rest of the book’s only a few days away.

Every Friday, Suvudu publishes a 50 (or so) page excerpt for one of their novels. Often, it’s an older novel, maybe the first volume of a series with a new book around the corner, or just the works of a classic author looking to expand their audience. It’s a neat feature, even if I don’t use it much myself. Every once in a while, however, they really knock things out of the park for fans of their authors. This time, they’ve released an early look at The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett, one of the Fantasy community’s most anticipated Spring releases.

Peter V. Brett’s Demon Cycle Series is the tale of humanity’s last stand against demonkind—and so it’s one of the most heart-stoppingly action-packed fantasy series I’ve ever read, with epic warfare, badass heroes, and plenty of awesome demon carnage. But the Demon Cycle is more than a thrill ride: Peter’s true secret weapon is his unforgettable characters. This excerpt from The Daylight War takes us deep into the origin story of Peter’s most fascinating and mysterious creation, Inevera the demon priestess. While The Daylight War delivers all the propulsive storytelling and pulse-pounding ation that’s made the Demon Cycle a blockbuster series, Inevera’s story is the book’s dark and secret heart.

Despite my reservations for the second volume in Brett’s Demon Cycle, I loved The Warded Man, and look forward to dipping my toes back into his world (to see how much he’s learned as a writer, as much as to reconvene with his characters, if I’m being honest.) Early buzz on The Daylight War suggests that it might be the best of Brett’s books so far, and I don’t say that lightly. So, fans, enjoy, and read an excerpt from The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett.