December 8
I can only imagine the music we have missed. It was a very sad day for the world.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
THE SENTINEL MAGE out in late January
The Sentinel Mage
by Emily Gee
3rd February 2011 • £7.99 (UK)
ISBN 978-1-907519-49-9
25th January 2011 • $7.99/$9.99 (US & CAN)
ISBN 978-1-907519-50-5
The start of the gripping new Cursed Kingdoms trilogy!
In a distant corner of the Seven Kingdoms, an ancient curse festers and grows, consuming everything in its path. Only one man can break it: Harkeld of Osgaard, a prince with mage’s blood in his veins. But Prince Harkeld has a bounty on his head - and assassins at his heels.
Innis is a gifted shapeshifter. Now she must do the forbidden: become a man. She must stand at Prince Harkeld’s side as his armsman, protecting and deceiving him. But the deserts of Masse are more dangerous than the assassins hunting the prince. The curse has woken deadly creatures, and the magic Prince Harkeld loathes may be the only thing standing between him and death.
The first book in a thrilling new heroic fantasy trilogy, Emily Gee’s The Sentinel Mage combines high action and an exciting new take on magic with challenging themes of identity and social taboo, as a strong cast of engaging characters races against time to save a world threatened with a horrific curse.
“Her haunting prose reads like Hans Christian Andersen for twenty-first century adults.”
– New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh
About the Author
The critically-acclaimed author of Thief With No Shadow and The Laurentine Spy, Emily Gee is also a successful romance novelist under the pen name Emily May. She has traveled much of the globe, discovering she wanted to write while riding a bus through the desert, and spent years working internationally before returning to her native New Zealand. www.emilygee.com
by Emily Gee
3rd February 2011 • £7.99 (UK)
ISBN 978-1-907519-49-9
25th January 2011 • $7.99/$9.99 (US & CAN)
ISBN 978-1-907519-50-5
The start of the gripping new Cursed Kingdoms trilogy!
In a distant corner of the Seven Kingdoms, an ancient curse festers and grows, consuming everything in its path. Only one man can break it: Harkeld of Osgaard, a prince with mage’s blood in his veins. But Prince Harkeld has a bounty on his head - and assassins at his heels.
Innis is a gifted shapeshifter. Now she must do the forbidden: become a man. She must stand at Prince Harkeld’s side as his armsman, protecting and deceiving him. But the deserts of Masse are more dangerous than the assassins hunting the prince. The curse has woken deadly creatures, and the magic Prince Harkeld loathes may be the only thing standing between him and death.
The first book in a thrilling new heroic fantasy trilogy, Emily Gee’s The Sentinel Mage combines high action and an exciting new take on magic with challenging themes of identity and social taboo, as a strong cast of engaging characters races against time to save a world threatened with a horrific curse.
“Her haunting prose reads like Hans Christian Andersen for twenty-first century adults.”
– New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh
About the Author
The critically-acclaimed author of Thief With No Shadow and The Laurentine Spy, Emily Gee is also a successful romance novelist under the pen name Emily May. She has traveled much of the globe, discovering she wanted to write while riding a bus through the desert, and spent years working internationally before returning to her native New Zealand. www.emilygee.com
Monday, December 6, 2010
The HELL TRAIN Is Coming in January
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
Hell Train
by Christopher Fowler
January 2011 • £7.99 (UK)
ISBN 978-1-907992-43-8
January 2011 • $7.99/$9.99 (US & CAN)
ISBN 978-1-907992-44-5
Non Stop. One Way. Straight Down!
Solaris is delighted to announce the acquisition of a new horror novel, Hell Train, by Christopher Fowler, best-selling author of the Bryant & May mystery novels. Fowler says: “This is an unashamed pedal-to-the-metal supernatural thriller that goes back to my roots, and a multi-layered fun ride to the dark side. I'm thrilled to be working with the hottest new publishing house for genre fiction in the UK.”
Jonathan Oliver, editor-in-chief of Solaris, has commented: “I’ve been a fan of Christopher Fowler for a long time and have always loved his horror stories. So it’s very exciting to be working with him on this rip-roaring supernatural yarn. Christopher brings us something of the British horror film industry at its height, while also stamping his own mark on this thrilling tale.”
“Fowler writes devilishly clever and mordantly funny novels that are sometimes heartbreakingly moving.” – Val McDermid, The Times
“Christopher Fowler is an award-winning novelist who would make a good serial killer.” – Time Out
Synopsis
Imagine there was a supernatural chiller that Hammer Films never made. A grand epic produced at the studio’s peak, which played like a cross between the Dracula and Frankenstein films and Dr Terror’s House Of Horrors...
Four passengers meet on a train journey through Eastern Europe during the First World War, and face a mystery that must be solved if they are to survive. As the ‘Arkangel’ races through the war-torn countryside, they must find out:
What is in the casket that everyone is so afraid of?
What is the tragic secret of the veiled Red Countess who travels with them?
Why is their fellow passenger the army brigadier so feared by his own men?
And what exactly is the devilish secret of the Arkangel itself?
Bizarre creatures, satanic rites, terrified passengers and the romance of travelling by train, all in a classically styled horror novel.
Hell Train will be published in January 2012 in both the UK and the US.
About the Author
Born in Greenwich, London, Christopher Fowler has written for film, television, radio, graphic novels, and for journals ranging from The Times to The Big Issue for more than thirty years. He is a regular columnist for both The Independent on Sunday and the FT.
Fowler is the multi-award winning author of more than thirty novels and ten short-story collections, including the lauded Bryant & May mystery novels. In the past year he has been nominated for eight national book awards.
Hell Train
by Christopher Fowler
January 2011 • £7.99 (UK)
ISBN 978-1-907992-43-8
January 2011 • $7.99/$9.99 (US & CAN)
ISBN 978-1-907992-44-5
Non Stop. One Way. Straight Down!
Solaris is delighted to announce the acquisition of a new horror novel, Hell Train, by Christopher Fowler, best-selling author of the Bryant & May mystery novels. Fowler says: “This is an unashamed pedal-to-the-metal supernatural thriller that goes back to my roots, and a multi-layered fun ride to the dark side. I'm thrilled to be working with the hottest new publishing house for genre fiction in the UK.”
Jonathan Oliver, editor-in-chief of Solaris, has commented: “I’ve been a fan of Christopher Fowler for a long time and have always loved his horror stories. So it’s very exciting to be working with him on this rip-roaring supernatural yarn. Christopher brings us something of the British horror film industry at its height, while also stamping his own mark on this thrilling tale.”
“Fowler writes devilishly clever and mordantly funny novels that are sometimes heartbreakingly moving.” – Val McDermid, The Times
“Christopher Fowler is an award-winning novelist who would make a good serial killer.” – Time Out
Synopsis
Imagine there was a supernatural chiller that Hammer Films never made. A grand epic produced at the studio’s peak, which played like a cross between the Dracula and Frankenstein films and Dr Terror’s House Of Horrors...
Four passengers meet on a train journey through Eastern Europe during the First World War, and face a mystery that must be solved if they are to survive. As the ‘Arkangel’ races through the war-torn countryside, they must find out:
What is in the casket that everyone is so afraid of?
What is the tragic secret of the veiled Red Countess who travels with them?
Why is their fellow passenger the army brigadier so feared by his own men?
And what exactly is the devilish secret of the Arkangel itself?
Bizarre creatures, satanic rites, terrified passengers and the romance of travelling by train, all in a classically styled horror novel.
Hell Train will be published in January 2012 in both the UK and the US.
About the Author
Born in Greenwich, London, Christopher Fowler has written for film, television, radio, graphic novels, and for journals ranging from The Times to The Big Issue for more than thirty years. He is a regular columnist for both The Independent on Sunday and the FT.
Fowler is the multi-award winning author of more than thirty novels and ten short-story collections, including the lauded Bryant & May mystery novels. In the past year he has been nominated for eight national book awards.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Zombies and more
Hungry for Your Love: An Anthology of Zombie Romance
Lori Perkins (Editor)
St. Martin’s Griffin, $14.99
ISBN: 9780312650797
This is an engaging twenty-one short stories that focus on the subgenre of zombie romance. That extra twist brings the heart and soul to a well written compilation. “Romance Ain’t Dead by Jeremy Wagner stars a human husband loving his reanimated wife who drowned in Lake Michigan. Francesca Lia Block provides an amusing warm tale of two revenants meeting at “Revenants Anonymous”. "I Heart Brains" by Jaime Saare has an infected male shopping at the mall for a new body, but also meets a widow. In “Everyone I Love Is dead” by Elizabeth Coldwell stars an Undead who returns from the grave to see his beloved but she has moved on with another man. Similar in tone as Ms. Coldwell’s entry, Regina Riley provides the "Undying Love" of a zombie searching for his lost love. All the tales are fun and entertaining for fans of zombie romances as each author insures their lead couple contains fully functioning hearts as love never dies even the "Last Times at Ridgemont High" by Kilt Kilpatrick. Harriet Klausner
Indulgence in Death
J.D. Robb
Putnam, $26.95
ISBN: 9780399156878
NYPSD Homicide Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her husband Roarke go to Ireland on a needed vacation; their first in quite a while. When they return to New York City, Eve finds her unit struggling with an apparent serial killer (or more) who changes his or her weapon of choice; always using something that seems arcane.
First the predator murdered chauffeur Jamal Houston sitting in his limo at La Guardia with a crossbow. That is followed with the killing of prostitute Ava Crampton at Coney Island's House of Horrors using a bayonet. Soon afterward celebrity chef Luc Delaflote falls to a harpoon. Finally, a bullwhip around her neck strangled Adrianne Jonas to death. Even as they become targets, Eve, her top assistant Detective Delia Peabody and Roarke find clues that frighten them with the apparent psychopathic implications.
The long running Dallas-Roarke futuristic police procedural (see Kindred in Death and Fantasy in Death) is made fresh by the killer(s) who will remind readers of Leopold and Loeb (see the movie Compulsion) though the implication has been used in other novels. The story line is fast-paced and loaded with action as the inquiry turns macabre and twp cops and their civilian ally become the prey of deadly predators. Sub-genre fans will enjoy this exciting entry. Harriet Klausner
Afterlife
Merrie Destefano
Eos, $7.99
ISBN: 9780061990816
In New Orleans, Chaz Domingue earns a living at Fresh Start counseling and protecting new clones while the resurrected deceased struggles to regain their equilibrium. His current “babysitting” newbie is Angelique. However, what should have been a simple job guiding Angelique turns nasty when he must keep the woman safe from an unknown adversary who wants her dead.
Chaz assumes that the culprits fear Angelique knows something from a prior life that they do not want revealed. Questioning Angelique divulges nothing; so Chaz is left on the defensive insuring the woman and consequently his own family are not harmed. However, he remains ignorant to the fact that a powerful cadre of Nine-Timers wants the Fresh Start secrets as the ninth bat at life is the acceptable normal last swing; this group plans to live forever at any cost to others.
The first Resurrection Chronicles is a terrific New Orleans science fiction thriller that rotates first person viewpoints with the prime star being Chaz, who fumbles, stumbles, and grumbles with keeping the newbie safe from those who want her dead. Fast-paced, readers will relish this dark New Orleans drama as the hero has no idea what he has stepped into by doing his job except he knows that Angelique is the cause that threatens him and his family. Harriet Klausner
Lori Perkins (Editor)
St. Martin’s Griffin, $14.99
ISBN: 9780312650797
This is an engaging twenty-one short stories that focus on the subgenre of zombie romance. That extra twist brings the heart and soul to a well written compilation. “Romance Ain’t Dead by Jeremy Wagner stars a human husband loving his reanimated wife who drowned in Lake Michigan. Francesca Lia Block provides an amusing warm tale of two revenants meeting at “Revenants Anonymous”. "I Heart Brains" by Jaime Saare has an infected male shopping at the mall for a new body, but also meets a widow. In “Everyone I Love Is dead” by Elizabeth Coldwell stars an Undead who returns from the grave to see his beloved but she has moved on with another man. Similar in tone as Ms. Coldwell’s entry, Regina Riley provides the "Undying Love" of a zombie searching for his lost love. All the tales are fun and entertaining for fans of zombie romances as each author insures their lead couple contains fully functioning hearts as love never dies even the "Last Times at Ridgemont High" by Kilt Kilpatrick. Harriet Klausner
Indulgence in Death
J.D. Robb
Putnam, $26.95
ISBN: 9780399156878
NYPSD Homicide Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her husband Roarke go to Ireland on a needed vacation; their first in quite a while. When they return to New York City, Eve finds her unit struggling with an apparent serial killer (or more) who changes his or her weapon of choice; always using something that seems arcane.
First the predator murdered chauffeur Jamal Houston sitting in his limo at La Guardia with a crossbow. That is followed with the killing of prostitute Ava Crampton at Coney Island's House of Horrors using a bayonet. Soon afterward celebrity chef Luc Delaflote falls to a harpoon. Finally, a bullwhip around her neck strangled Adrianne Jonas to death. Even as they become targets, Eve, her top assistant Detective Delia Peabody and Roarke find clues that frighten them with the apparent psychopathic implications.
The long running Dallas-Roarke futuristic police procedural (see Kindred in Death and Fantasy in Death) is made fresh by the killer(s) who will remind readers of Leopold and Loeb (see the movie Compulsion) though the implication has been used in other novels. The story line is fast-paced and loaded with action as the inquiry turns macabre and twp cops and their civilian ally become the prey of deadly predators. Sub-genre fans will enjoy this exciting entry. Harriet Klausner
Afterlife
Merrie Destefano
Eos, $7.99
ISBN: 9780061990816
In New Orleans, Chaz Domingue earns a living at Fresh Start counseling and protecting new clones while the resurrected deceased struggles to regain their equilibrium. His current “babysitting” newbie is Angelique. However, what should have been a simple job guiding Angelique turns nasty when he must keep the woman safe from an unknown adversary who wants her dead.
Chaz assumes that the culprits fear Angelique knows something from a prior life that they do not want revealed. Questioning Angelique divulges nothing; so Chaz is left on the defensive insuring the woman and consequently his own family are not harmed. However, he remains ignorant to the fact that a powerful cadre of Nine-Timers wants the Fresh Start secrets as the ninth bat at life is the acceptable normal last swing; this group plans to live forever at any cost to others.
The first Resurrection Chronicles is a terrific New Orleans science fiction thriller that rotates first person viewpoints with the prime star being Chaz, who fumbles, stumbles, and grumbles with keeping the newbie safe from those who want her dead. Fast-paced, readers will relish this dark New Orleans drama as the hero has no idea what he has stepped into by doing his job except he knows that Angelique is the cause that threatens him and his family. Harriet Klausner
Friday, December 3, 2010
Some interesting titles
The Iron Duke
Meljean Brook
Berkley, Oct 5 2010, $15.00
ISBN: 9780425236673
The Horde had conquered England; setting up its nanotechnological control tower to insure no rebellion occurred. The invincible enemy was unprepared for a pirate Rhys Trahaearn who blew up their tower and liberated the country. He became a hero and rewarded as the Iron Duke. No longer working as a pirate, respectable Rhys is a successful merchant.
A corpse is dumped from an airship landing by Rhys’ home. Half-Horde Police Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth leads the official investigation. Rhys has plans for the cop, but soon is at her side as she treks the zombie swamps after the identification of the victim leads her to conclude a sinister conspiracy plans to destroy England.
This alternate England science fiction is a terrific high seas and air adventure in which the romantic subplot is kept in the background as the lead couple struggles with saving the country. Action-packed from the moment the body fell from the sky, readers will feel they entered the world of Brooks in which nanotechnology plays a key role. Rhys is a roguish hero while Mina used to prejudice is a dedicated person who risks her life for people who look down on her mixed breeding. The Iron Duke is a fabulous thriller. Harriet Klausner
Jane and the Damned
Janet Mullany
Avon, $13.99
ISBN: 9780061958304
In 1797, Jane Austen is depressed when her manuscript is returned obviously unopened and rejected. Her father the Reverend tells her to keep trying as like him, her mom and her siblings, believe she is very talented.
Jane, her sister Cassandra and Catherine Bigg attend a dance at the Basingstoke Assembly Room. At the gala, Jane meets Sybil Smith who repairs the wannabe writer’s sleeve. Soon after her encounter with Sybil, she meets Miss Smith’s brother who tastes her blood and turns her into a vampire. Jane becomes ill and her father takes her and the rest of the family to Bath to find the cure for vampirism. When the forces of the French Revolutionary Army cross the Channel, Jane joins the English vampire corps led by Luke Venning to repel the invaders.
This is an entertaining Jane Austen vampire tale that readers of historical fantasy will enjoy although the recasting of the famous author in a variety of roles has been so frequent, it feels like its own sub-genre (see Bespelling Jane Austin, which includes a Janet Mullany novella). The story line is fast-paced as the heroine adapts to her new status, but insight into the Damned society is somewhat lacking. Still Jane and the Damned is an enjoyable early regency fantasy. Harriet Klausner
Dying to Live
Kim Paffenroth
Permuted Press (Gallery/Simon and Schuster), $15.00
ISBN: 9781439180716
Almost one year ago, the dead began to reanimate. The zombie infestation spread and soon few humans are left to choose fight or flight. Jonah Caine, a former English Lit professor, has been alone for most of this time. He prays that he find other humans, but so far has not met anyone except the undead.
Needing food, he enters a dead urban center in which the abandoned jewelry store is stocked but the liquor store has one bottle of bad bourbon left. Jonah knows how dangerous the urban centers are so hr hopes to leave soon. At a convenience store he hits the jackpot with Twinkies and snow ball cakes until zombies attack him. He kills some and flees with the zombies in chase when a man with a bullhorn calls to him. His first human he has mot seen in weeks, perhaps months. They rescue him. Their leader is Jack Lawson who welcomes Jonah into the group staying inside the Museum of Science and History. He meets Doc a former dental hygienist turned medical practitioner and the odd Milton who is different yet obsessed with rebuilding civilization; it is the latter he finds stimulating as they intellectually discuss philosophy.
This is an intriguing intelligent zombie thriller that hooks the audience from the opening when Jonah kills from a tree house. Kim Paffenroth effortlessly intertwines plenty of action with literary commentary and philosophy. Besides obvious names like Jonah and Milton, there are references from the bible, Dante’s Inferno and works of the Bard. Yet with all that the story line is loaded with action. However, it is the optimism of Milton contrasted to the grim description of a dead America especially the small Midwest city that keeps the reader’s interest in a strong fresh zombie tale. Harriet Klausner
Meljean Brook
Berkley, Oct 5 2010, $15.00
ISBN: 9780425236673
The Horde had conquered England; setting up its nanotechnological control tower to insure no rebellion occurred. The invincible enemy was unprepared for a pirate Rhys Trahaearn who blew up their tower and liberated the country. He became a hero and rewarded as the Iron Duke. No longer working as a pirate, respectable Rhys is a successful merchant.
A corpse is dumped from an airship landing by Rhys’ home. Half-Horde Police Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth leads the official investigation. Rhys has plans for the cop, but soon is at her side as she treks the zombie swamps after the identification of the victim leads her to conclude a sinister conspiracy plans to destroy England.
This alternate England science fiction is a terrific high seas and air adventure in which the romantic subplot is kept in the background as the lead couple struggles with saving the country. Action-packed from the moment the body fell from the sky, readers will feel they entered the world of Brooks in which nanotechnology plays a key role. Rhys is a roguish hero while Mina used to prejudice is a dedicated person who risks her life for people who look down on her mixed breeding. The Iron Duke is a fabulous thriller. Harriet Klausner
Jane and the Damned
Janet Mullany
Avon, $13.99
ISBN: 9780061958304
In 1797, Jane Austen is depressed when her manuscript is returned obviously unopened and rejected. Her father the Reverend tells her to keep trying as like him, her mom and her siblings, believe she is very talented.
Jane, her sister Cassandra and Catherine Bigg attend a dance at the Basingstoke Assembly Room. At the gala, Jane meets Sybil Smith who repairs the wannabe writer’s sleeve. Soon after her encounter with Sybil, she meets Miss Smith’s brother who tastes her blood and turns her into a vampire. Jane becomes ill and her father takes her and the rest of the family to Bath to find the cure for vampirism. When the forces of the French Revolutionary Army cross the Channel, Jane joins the English vampire corps led by Luke Venning to repel the invaders.
This is an entertaining Jane Austen vampire tale that readers of historical fantasy will enjoy although the recasting of the famous author in a variety of roles has been so frequent, it feels like its own sub-genre (see Bespelling Jane Austin, which includes a Janet Mullany novella). The story line is fast-paced as the heroine adapts to her new status, but insight into the Damned society is somewhat lacking. Still Jane and the Damned is an enjoyable early regency fantasy. Harriet Klausner
Dying to Live
Kim Paffenroth
Permuted Press (Gallery/Simon and Schuster), $15.00
ISBN: 9781439180716
Almost one year ago, the dead began to reanimate. The zombie infestation spread and soon few humans are left to choose fight or flight. Jonah Caine, a former English Lit professor, has been alone for most of this time. He prays that he find other humans, but so far has not met anyone except the undead.
Needing food, he enters a dead urban center in which the abandoned jewelry store is stocked but the liquor store has one bottle of bad bourbon left. Jonah knows how dangerous the urban centers are so hr hopes to leave soon. At a convenience store he hits the jackpot with Twinkies and snow ball cakes until zombies attack him. He kills some and flees with the zombies in chase when a man with a bullhorn calls to him. His first human he has mot seen in weeks, perhaps months. They rescue him. Their leader is Jack Lawson who welcomes Jonah into the group staying inside the Museum of Science and History. He meets Doc a former dental hygienist turned medical practitioner and the odd Milton who is different yet obsessed with rebuilding civilization; it is the latter he finds stimulating as they intellectually discuss philosophy.
This is an intriguing intelligent zombie thriller that hooks the audience from the opening when Jonah kills from a tree house. Kim Paffenroth effortlessly intertwines plenty of action with literary commentary and philosophy. Besides obvious names like Jonah and Milton, there are references from the bible, Dante’s Inferno and works of the Bard. Yet with all that the story line is loaded with action. However, it is the optimism of Milton contrasted to the grim description of a dead America especially the small Midwest city that keeps the reader’s interest in a strong fresh zombie tale. Harriet Klausner
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Update and reviews
Here are some from Harriet to tide you over. Still adjusting to working again and taking care of Kathy. She's doing some better but has a way to go.
Something Wicked
Michelle Rowen
Berkley, $7.99
ISBN: 9780425237465
Part Nephilim Eden Riley contains Darrak the demon inside her due to a curse. Darrak has resided in many bodies over the last three centuries, but for Eden this is a new dangerous experience as every day he possesses her means she is nearer to dying. When her psychic skills brings him physical form, she knows she likes what she sees, but must decide soon what to do before it is too late. If she exorcises the demon, he dies; if she does not she dies.
They seek a way to end his curse, which would free him, keep her alive, and have a happy new beginning together in two separate bodies. However, as they find information, Eden fears what she has learned makes her wonder if Darrak is concealing the truth from her. Darrak has issues too as the first time in all his possessions he cares about his host and does not want to hurt her. Desperate he asks a close demonic friend for advice; forgetting the first rule of demonology is never trust a demon.
The second Living in Eden urban fantasy (see The Demon In Me) is an engaging often amusing thriller as Darrak and Eden struggle with their relationship as each prays the other survives. The story line is fast-paced as Eden learns some inconvenient truths about her guest and Darrak likewise about trusting a demon. Something Wicked is something fun to read. Harriet Klausner
Seducing The Succubus
Cassie Ryan
Berkley, $15.00
ISBN: 9780425236840
As she has done seemingly for eternity, Queen Lilith assigns soul collecting quotas to the four succubus demons who know they must never fail her or else. Jezebeth has been seducing men for centuries in order to darken their soul so she can deliver to her ruler.
As Jezebeth conducts business with a male, an imp arrives to warn her that the fallen Semiaszas has escaped incarceration and coming after her and her sisters. Jez realizes the imp has led a pestilence bounty hunter demon working for Semiaszas to her; the imp says he paid off Lilith and the hunter before vanishing.
Doing research for his next horror novel led Noah Halston into soul trouble when an incantation brought forth Lilith demanding one night with her or his soul. Rejecting both choices, he accepts option three taking Jezebeth to safety. Attracted to the succubus, Noah fears his soul is lost, but tries to focus on the goal of keeping her safe.
The first Sisters of Darkness erotic fantasy is a terrific tale due to the romance taking somewhat of a backseat to the danger throughout the Ryan universe of heaven and hell and points in between. Fast-paced, the trek is dangerous as demons and angels want the head of Jez while Noah wants her body and soul. Readers will enjoy the trip to safety as the politics of heaven and hell will remind the audience of the often heated Cold War. Harriet Klausner
Selfish Is The Heart
Megan Hart
Berkley, $15.00
ISBN: 9780425234563
Annalise Marony has doubts about her arranged upcoming marriage to Jacquin Kirkol; as neither feel any attraction to the other. Still she plans to wed him until she catches him with another woman. Annalise ends their engagement, but to avoid being forced into marriage, she becomes Handmaiden in training of the Order of Solace.
Cassian the teacher of the faith has doubts about the motives of the newest student who is older than the typical enrollee. He as her master goes all out to prove her dedication to the faith as false. She knows she must hide that she is a non-practicing believer. Annalise does so by teasing and tormenting her instructor. Their game deepens and their attraction grows stronger, each fears their soul will either wither until death or bind them together in a higher level of consciousness.
The latest Order of Solace tale (see the Pleasure And Purpose with its three novellas and No Greater Pleasure) is a super entry as Megan Hart keeps her unique erotic world fascinating by using a master as the lead male. Once again, The Handmaidens of the Order of Solace world seems plausible as it is filled with plenty of Hart due to a strong cast. Readers will relish this engaging erotic entry. Harriet Klausner
Something Wicked
Michelle Rowen
Berkley, $7.99
ISBN: 9780425237465
Part Nephilim Eden Riley contains Darrak the demon inside her due to a curse. Darrak has resided in many bodies over the last three centuries, but for Eden this is a new dangerous experience as every day he possesses her means she is nearer to dying. When her psychic skills brings him physical form, she knows she likes what she sees, but must decide soon what to do before it is too late. If she exorcises the demon, he dies; if she does not she dies.
They seek a way to end his curse, which would free him, keep her alive, and have a happy new beginning together in two separate bodies. However, as they find information, Eden fears what she has learned makes her wonder if Darrak is concealing the truth from her. Darrak has issues too as the first time in all his possessions he cares about his host and does not want to hurt her. Desperate he asks a close demonic friend for advice; forgetting the first rule of demonology is never trust a demon.
The second Living in Eden urban fantasy (see The Demon In Me) is an engaging often amusing thriller as Darrak and Eden struggle with their relationship as each prays the other survives. The story line is fast-paced as Eden learns some inconvenient truths about her guest and Darrak likewise about trusting a demon. Something Wicked is something fun to read. Harriet Klausner
Seducing The Succubus
Cassie Ryan
Berkley, $15.00
ISBN: 9780425236840
As she has done seemingly for eternity, Queen Lilith assigns soul collecting quotas to the four succubus demons who know they must never fail her or else. Jezebeth has been seducing men for centuries in order to darken their soul so she can deliver to her ruler.
As Jezebeth conducts business with a male, an imp arrives to warn her that the fallen Semiaszas has escaped incarceration and coming after her and her sisters. Jez realizes the imp has led a pestilence bounty hunter demon working for Semiaszas to her; the imp says he paid off Lilith and the hunter before vanishing.
Doing research for his next horror novel led Noah Halston into soul trouble when an incantation brought forth Lilith demanding one night with her or his soul. Rejecting both choices, he accepts option three taking Jezebeth to safety. Attracted to the succubus, Noah fears his soul is lost, but tries to focus on the goal of keeping her safe.
The first Sisters of Darkness erotic fantasy is a terrific tale due to the romance taking somewhat of a backseat to the danger throughout the Ryan universe of heaven and hell and points in between. Fast-paced, the trek is dangerous as demons and angels want the head of Jez while Noah wants her body and soul. Readers will enjoy the trip to safety as the politics of heaven and hell will remind the audience of the often heated Cold War. Harriet Klausner
Selfish Is The Heart
Megan Hart
Berkley, $15.00
ISBN: 9780425234563
Annalise Marony has doubts about her arranged upcoming marriage to Jacquin Kirkol; as neither feel any attraction to the other. Still she plans to wed him until she catches him with another woman. Annalise ends their engagement, but to avoid being forced into marriage, she becomes Handmaiden in training of the Order of Solace.
Cassian the teacher of the faith has doubts about the motives of the newest student who is older than the typical enrollee. He as her master goes all out to prove her dedication to the faith as false. She knows she must hide that she is a non-practicing believer. Annalise does so by teasing and tormenting her instructor. Their game deepens and their attraction grows stronger, each fears their soul will either wither until death or bind them together in a higher level of consciousness.
The latest Order of Solace tale (see the Pleasure And Purpose with its three novellas and No Greater Pleasure) is a super entry as Megan Hart keeps her unique erotic world fascinating by using a master as the lead male. Once again, The Handmaidens of the Order of Solace world seems plausible as it is filled with plenty of Hart due to a strong cast. Readers will relish this engaging erotic entry. Harriet Klausner
The End of the Line
The End of the Line
edited by Jonathan Oliver
16th November 2010 • £7.99 (UK)
ISBN 978-1-907519-32-1
1st October 2010 • $7.99/$9.99 (US & CAN)
ISBN 978-1-907519-33-8
A terrifying journey deep into the heart of horror!
In the night-black tunnels something stirs, borne on a warm breath of wind, reeking of diesel and blood. The spaces between stations hold secrets too terrible for the surface world to comprehend, and the steel lines sing with the songs of the dead.
The End of The Line collects some of the very best in new horror writing in a themed anthology of stories set on, and around, the Underground, the Metro and other places deep below. This collection of nineteen new stories includes thoughtful, disturbing and terrifying tales by Ramsey Campbell, Christopher Fowler, Mark Morris, Pat Cadigan, Adam Nevill and Michael Marshall Smith amongst many others.
The collection has already received strong critical approval, with Lisa Tuttle, for The Times, making early mention of the book’s likely place in “anthology of the year” lists for 2010.
“A pleasingly atmospheric anthology, that fans of original horror will find studded with darkly glittering jewels.”
– Jes Bickham, SFX
edited by Jonathan Oliver
16th November 2010 • £7.99 (UK)
ISBN 978-1-907519-32-1
1st October 2010 • $7.99/$9.99 (US & CAN)
ISBN 978-1-907519-33-8
A terrifying journey deep into the heart of horror!
In the night-black tunnels something stirs, borne on a warm breath of wind, reeking of diesel and blood. The spaces between stations hold secrets too terrible for the surface world to comprehend, and the steel lines sing with the songs of the dead.
The End of The Line collects some of the very best in new horror writing in a themed anthology of stories set on, and around, the Underground, the Metro and other places deep below. This collection of nineteen new stories includes thoughtful, disturbing and terrifying tales by Ramsey Campbell, Christopher Fowler, Mark Morris, Pat Cadigan, Adam Nevill and Michael Marshall Smith amongst many others.
The collection has already received strong critical approval, with Lisa Tuttle, for The Times, making early mention of the book’s likely place in “anthology of the year” lists for 2010.
“A pleasingly atmospheric anthology, that fans of original horror will find studded with darkly glittering jewels.”
– Jes Bickham, SFX
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