Nove i pročitane knjige (u 2017.)

[Nightflier]

Stimpanka na sve strane. Definitivno je postao nova urbana fantastika.

Romulus Buckle & the City of the Founders (The Chronicles of the Pneumatic Zeppelin, Book One) by Richard Ellis Preston Jr.



In a post-apocalyptic world of endless snow, Captain Romulus Buckle and the stalwart crew of the Pneumatic Zeppelin must embark on a perilous mission to rescue their kidnapped leader, Balthazar Crankshaft, from the impenetrable City of the Founders.  Steaming over a territory once known as Southern California – before it was devastated in the alien war – Buckle navigates his massive airship through skies infested with enemy war zeppelins and ravenous alien beasties in this swashbuckling and high-octane steampunk adventure.  Life is desperate in the Snow World – and death is quick – Buckle and his ship’s company must brave poisoned wastelands of noxious mustard and do battle with forgewalkers, steampipers and armored locomotives as they plunge from the skies into the underground prison warrens of the fortress-city. Captain Romulus Buckle must lead the Pneumatic Zeppelin and its crew of never-do-wells on a desperate mission where he must risk everything to save Balthazar and attempt to prevent a catastrophic war which could wipe out all that is left of civilization and the entire human race.

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Trenutno nema baš mnogo šta da se čita od urbane fantastike, a da vredi. Jedan od retkih mogućih izuzetaka je autorski dvojac koji objavljuje pod pseudonimom Ilona Endrjuz.

Magic Rises (Kate Daniels) by Ilona Andrews



Atlanta is a city plagued by magical problems. Kate Daniels will fight to solve them—no matter the cost.
 
 Mercenary Kate Daniels and her mate, Curran, the Beast Lord, are struggling to solve a heartbreaking crisis. Unable to control their beasts, many of the Pack’s shapeshifting children fail to survive to adulthood. While there is a medicine that can help, the secret to its making is closely guarded by the European packs, and there’s little available in Atlanta.
 
 Kate can’t bear to watch innocents suffer, but the solution she and Curran have found threatens to be even more painful. The European shapeshifters who once outmaneuvered the Beast Lord have asked him to arbitrate a dispute—and they’ll pay him in medicine. With the young people’s survival and the Pack’s future at stake, Kate and Curran know they must accept the offer—but they have little doubt that they’re heading straight into a trap…

[Nightflier]

Amazon prilično agresivno nastupa sa svojim imprintom 47North.

Interrupt by Jeff Carlson



  In the distant past, the leader of a Neanderthal tribe confronts the end of his kind.
Today, a computational biologist, a Navy pilot, and an autistic boy are drawn together by the ancient mystery that gave rise to Homo sapiens.
Planes are falling from the sky. Global communications have ceased. America stands on the brink of war with China—but war is the least of humankind’s concerns. As solar storms destroy Earth’s electronics and plunge the world into another Ice Age, our civilization finds itself overrun by a powerful new species of man...
This brilliant thriller takes readers to an all-too-plausible tomorrow that’s as scientifically rigorous as it is wildly imaginative.
Jeff Carlson is the internationally bestselling author of Plague Year and The Frozen Sky. With Interrupt, he brings his forward-thinking fiction to a contemporary setting with this edge-of-your-seat thriller. 

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Larry Niven and Matthew Joseph Harrington - The Goliath Stone



Doctor Toby Glyer has effected miracle cures with the use of nanotechnology. But Glyer’s controversial nanites are more than just the latest technological advance, they are a new form of life—and they have more uses than just medical. Glyer’s nanites also have the potential to make everyone on Earth rich from the wealth of asteroids.
 
 Twenty-five years ago, the Briareus mission took nanomachinery out to divert an Earth-crossing asteroid and bring it back to be mined, only to drop out of contact as soon as it reached its target. The project was shut down and the technology was forcibly suppressed.
 
 Now, a much, much larger asteroid is on a collision course with Earth—and the Briareus nanites may be responsible. While the government scrambles to find a solution, Glyer knows that their only hope of avoiding Armageddon lies in the nanites themselves. On the run, Glyer must track down his old partner, William Connors, and find a way to make contact with their wayward children.
 
 As every parent learns, when you produce a new thinking being, the plans it makes are not necessarily your plans. But with a two-hundred-gigaton asteroid that rivals the rock that felled the dinosaurs hurtling toward Earth, Glyer and Connors don’t have time to argue. Will Glyer’s nanites be Earth's salvation or destruction?
 

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Mister October – An Anthology in Memory of Rick Hautala

JournalStone Publishing is donating 100% of the profits from this two volume anthology to the Hautala family.

Featuring over 45 individual contributors, almost 800 pages, over 240k words, original Clive Barker artwork, over 30 illustrations and so much content we had to put it into two volumes.

Christopher Golden – “On March 21st, 2013, I received a phone call from Holly Newstein telling me that her husband, Rick Hautala, had suffered a massive heart attack.  That piece of information shocked me into a surreal sort of panic, so much so that at first I could not make the leap to the next thing she said…that he had died.  It seemed impossible.  Rick had been such a good friend, such a consistent and stable force in my life, that the idea of him being so suddenly removed from this world…I just couldn’t make sense of it.Front_Cover_Image_Mister_October_Volume_II

This isn’t the place for me to put my grief on display.  Suffice it to say that Rick’s passing hit me hard.  Not a day goes by that I do not feel the pain of his absence.

I have no doubt that readers will treasure this two-volume set.  It is my hope that as you read, you will ruminate a little bit about the man for whom we all have come together within these pages.  And I hope you’ll urge others to pick up their own copies of Mister October as well.”

Volume I Contributors:

Neil Gaiman – FEEDERS AND EATERS, Graham Joyce – UNDER THE PYLON, Matthew Costello – A GUY WALKS INTO A BAR, Michael Marshall Smith – HELL HATH ENLARGED HERSELF, Chet Williamson – FIGURES IN RAIN, Elizabeth Massie – AS YOU HAVE MADE US, Peter Crowther – THOUGHTFUL BREATHS, Matti Hautala – NEVER BACK AGAIN, Mark Morris – A GIRL, SITTING, Richard Chizmar – BLOOD BROTHERS, Stephen R. Bissette – LITTLE BROTHERS—PORTFOLIO, Joe R. Lansdale – TIGHT LITTLE STITCHES IN A DEAD MAN’S BACK, Yvonne Navarro – CRAVING, José R. Nieto – lXCHEL’S TEARs, Duane Swierczynski – LIFE DURING DEATH, Gary A. Braunbeck – AFTER THE ELEPHANT BALLET, Craig Shaw Gardner – OVERNIGHT GUEST, Jack M. Haringa – SPRINGFIELD REPEATER, Tom Piccirilli – CONJURER—BOOK I: THE GRIEVE, F. Paul Wilson – THE YEAR THE MUSIC DIED, Jonathan Maberry – PROPERTY CONDEMNED—A Story of Pine Deep, John M. McIlveen – PLAYING THE HUDDYS, Weston Ochse – CRASHING DOWN, Glenn Chadbourne, Morbideus W. Goodell

Volume II Contributors:

Clive Barker – TOM REQUIEM, Peter Straub – LITTLE RED’S TANGO, Jeff Strand – HOLOGRAM SKULL COVER, Thomas F. Monteleone – LUX ET VERITAS, J. F. Gonzalez – DEVOTION, Stephen R. Bissette – INN CLEANING, Christopher Golden – BREATHE MY NAME, Lucy A. Snyder – MAGDALA AMYGDALA, Sarah Pinborough – THE BOHEMIAN OF THE ARBAT, Brian Keene – JOHNSTOWN, Kevin J. Anderson – ROAD KILL (A Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. story), Tim Lebbon – JUST BREATHE, Nancy A. Collins – CATFISH GAL BLUES, Kim Newman – ILLIMITABLE DOMINION, Sarah Langan – INDEPENDENCE DAY, Rio Youers – THE GHOST OF LILLIAN BLISS, Jack Ketchum – HOTLINE, John Skipp – THE LIGHT OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS, James A. Moore – WAR STORIES, Amber Benson – IT’S…, Nate Kenyon – THE DREAMCATCHER, Holly Newstein – KRISTALL TAG, Rick Hautala – GHOST TRAP, Cortney Skinner, Glenn Chadbourne

[Nightflier]

Za ljubitelje Džima Bučera


Wayne Thomas Batson - [John Spector 01] - Ghost




"Fans of Lee Child and Jim Butcher will love this series!" —The Underground PROTECTOR and PUNISHER... HUNTER and HUNTED… OF THE WORLD and OTHERWORLDLY… John Spector, aka GHOST, isn’t your ordinary investigator. He carries a shiny badge, a billfold ID, and a mysterious silver suitcase. His mission? Seek the forgotten ones, the abandoned ones, the ones no one else can or will help. Visit blunt force trauma upon the world’s blackest souls and deny the devil his day by any means necessary. And never stop. Never. For more than a decade, the "Smiling Jack" killer has been posting photos of his victims on the Web, daring anyone to catch him, daring anyone to care. But when no missing person files match and no victims are ever found, the FBI closes the case. Years later, a digital camera washes up on shore, and GHOST finds it. Each macabre photo becomes a clue that will lead GHOST and FBI Special Agent Deanna Rezvani on the trail of one of the most diabolical killers of this world…or beyond. "No one gets away with murder. Not for long." NOTE: This book is intended for mature reading audiences.

[Nightflier]

Za ljubitelje Džoa Aberkrombija

Nathan Hawke - [Gallow 01] - The Crimson Shield



I have been Truesword to my friends, Griefbringer to my enemies. To most of you I am just another Northlander bastard here to take your women and drink your mead, but to those who know me, my name is Gallow. I fought for my king for seven long years. I have served lords and held my shield beside common men. I have fled in defeat and I have tasted victory and I will tell you which is sweeter. Despise me then, for I have slain more of your kin than I can count, though I remember every single face. For my king I will travel to the end of the world. I will find the fabled Crimson Shield so that his legions may carry it to battle, and when Sword and Shield must finally clash, there you will find me. I will not make pacts with devils or bargains with demons for I do not believe in such things, and yet I will see them all around me, in men and in their deeds. Remember me then, for I will not suffer such monsters to live. Even if they are the ones I serve.

[Nightflier]

The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirtieth Annual Collection by Gardner Dozois




  In the new millennium, what secrets lay beyond the far reaches of the universe? What mysteries belie the truths we once held to be self evident? The world of science fiction has long been a porthole into the realities of tomorrow, blurring the line between life and art. Now, in The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirtieth Annual Collection the very best SF authors explore ideas of a new world through their short stories. This venerable collection brings together award winning authors and masters of the field such as Robert Reed, Alastair Reynolds, Damien Broderick, Elizabeth Bear, Paul McAuley and John Barnes. And with an extensive recommended reading guide and a summation of the year in science fiction, this annual compilation has become the definitive must-read anthology for all science fiction fans and readers interested in breaking into the genre.

The multiple Locus Award-winning annual compilation of the year’s best science fiction stories   

• “Weep For Day” by Indrapramit Das
• “The Man” by Paul Mcauley
• “The Memcordist” by Lavie Tidhar
• “The Girl-thing Who Went Out For Sushi” by Pat Cadigan
• “Holmes Sherlock” by Eleanor Arnason
• “Nightfall On The Peak Of Eternal Light” by Richard A. Lovett And William Gleson
• “Close Encounters” by Andy Duncan
• “The Finite Canvas” by Brit Mandelo
• “Steamgothic” by Sean Mcmullen
• “In The House Of Aryaman” by A Lonely Signal Burns” by Elizabeth Bear
• “Macy Minot’s Last Christmas On Dione, Ring Racing, Fiddler’s Green, The Potter’s Garden” by Paul Mcauley
• “Twenty Lights To “the Land Of Snow,” Michael Bishop
• “Astrophilia” by Carrie Vaughn
• “What Did Tessimond Tell You?” by Adam Roberts
• “Old Paint” by Megan Lindholm
• “Chitai Heiki Koronbin” by David Moles
• “Gods Of Risk” by James S. A. Corey
• “The Water Thief” by Alastair Reynolds
• “Nightside On Callisto” by Linda Nagata
• “Under The Eaves” by Lavie Tidhar
• “Sudden” by Broken And Unexpected” by Steven Popkes
• “Fireborn” by Robert Charles Wilson
• “Ruminations In An Alien Tongue” by Vandana Singh
• “Tyche And The Ants” by Hannu Rajaniemi
• “The Wreck Of The Charles Dexter Ward” by Sarah Monette And Elizabeth Bear
• “Invisible Men” by Christopher Barzak
• “Ship’s Brother” by Aliette De Bodared
• “Eater-of-bone” by Robert Reed

[Nightflier]

Još malo stimpanka:

The Secret of Abdu El Yezdi by Mark Hodder



Burton & Swinburne return in a new series! The Beast is coming. History will be remade. Since the assassination of Queen Victoria in 1840, a cabal of prominent men-including King George V, HRH Prince Albert, Benjamin Disraeli, and Isambard Kingdom Brunel-has received guidance from the Afterlife. The spirit of a dead mystic, Abdu El Yezdi, has helped them to steer the empire into a period of unprecedented peace and creativity. But on the eve of a groundbreaking alliance with the newly formed Greater German Confederation, scientists, surgeons, and engineers are being abducted-including Brunel! The government, in search of answers, turns to the Afterlife, only to find that Abdu El Yezdi is now refusing to speak with the living. Enter the newly-knighted Sir Richard Francis Burton, fresh from his discovery of the source of the Nile. Appointed the king's agent, he must trace the missing luminaries and solve the mystery of Abdu El Yezdi's silence. But the Beast has been summoned. How can the famous explorer fulfill his mission when his friends and loved ones are being picked off, one by one, by what appears to be a supernatural entity-by, perhaps, Abdu El Yezdi himself?

The Executioner's Heart (Newbury & Hobbes Investigation) by George Mann



  In Executioner's Heart--the fourth Newbury & Hobbes steampunk mystery from George Mann--the detectives are up against the most frightening villainess England has yet seen.
It’s normal for Charles Bainbridge, Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard, to be called to the scene of a crime, but this is the third murder in quick succession where the victim’s chest has been cracked open and their heart torn out. Bainbridge suspects there’s a symbolic reason for the stolen hearts, so he sends for supernatural specialist Sir Maurice Newbury and his determined assistant, Miss Veronica Hobbes.
Unfortunately, neither of them are in much shape to take the case. Veronica has been hunting for some way to alleviate the mysterious forces that have been hounding her family of late, and Newbury has been retained by a private client: Edward, Prince of Wales, who's concerned that his mother, the Queen of England, is losing her grip on the nation.
However, the two detectives pull together long enough to determine that the killings may be the work of a mercenary known as the Executioner. French, uncannily beautiful, her flesh covered in tattoos and inlaid with precious metals, the Executioner is famed throughout Europe, with legends going back for hundreds of years. Something is keeping her in a form of living stasis, but her heart is damaged, leaving her an emotionless shell, inexplicably driven to collect her victims’ hearts as trophies.
Who is the Executioner targeting, and who hired her? Why has Veronica stopped trusting Bainbridge? What does the Prince of Wales really want? These are just some of the mysteries that Newbury and Hobbes will confront on the way to unearthing the secret of the Executioner’s Heart.


The Casebook of Newbury & Hobbes by George Mann



A collection of short stories detailing the supernatural steampunk adventures of detective duo, Sir Maurice Newbury and Miss Veronica Hobbes in dark and dangerous Victorian London. Along with Chief Inspector Bainbridge, Newbury & Hobbes will face plague revenants, murderous peers, mechanical beasts, tentacled leviathans, reanimated pygmies, and an encounter with Sherlock Holmes.

The Constantine Affliction by T. Aaron Payton




1864.  London is a city in transition.  The Constantine Affliction–a strange malady that kills some of its victims and physically transforms others into the opposite sex–has spread scandal and upheaval throughout society.  Scientific marvels and disasters, such as clockwork courtesans, the alchemical fires of Whitechapel, electric carriages, and acidic monsters lurking in the Thames, have forever altered the face of the city.

Pembroke “Pimm” Halliday is an aristocrat with an interest in criminology, who uses his keen powers of observation to assist the police or private individuals–at least when he’s sober enough to do so.  Ellie Skyler, who hides her gender behind the byline “E. Skye,” is an intrepid journalist driven by both passion and necessity to uncover the truth, no matter where it hides.

When Pimm and Skye stumble onto a dark plot that links the city’s most notorious criminal overlord with the Queen’s new consort, famed scientist Sir Bertram Oswald, they soon find the forces of both high and low society arrayed against them.  Can they save the city from the arcane machinations of one of history’s most infamous monsters–and uncover the shocking origin of . . .

        THE CONSTANTINE AFFLICTION
  The Casebook of Newbury & Hobbes by George Mann

[Nightflier]

Five Years of Original Fiction on Tor.com



Table of Contents
 1.     When We Were Heroes, by Daniel Abraham
 2.     Olga, by C.T. Adams
 3.     Foundation, by Ann Aguirre
 4.     The Department of Alterations, by Gennifer Albin
 5.     The Fermi Paradox is Our Business Model, by Charlie Jane Anders
 6.     Six Months, Three Days, by Charlie Jane Anders
 7.     Intestate, by Charlie Jane Anders
 8.     Legacy Lost, by Anna Banks
 9.     The Witch of Duva, by Leigh Bardugo
 10.    The Too-Clever Fox, by Leigh Bardugo
 11.    The Girl Who Sang Rose Madder, by Elizabeth Bear
 12.    The Horrid Glory of Its Wings, by Elizabeth Bear
 13.    Faster Gun, by Elizabeth Bear
 14.    The Final Now, by Gregory Benford
 15.    Grace Immaculate, by Gregory Benford
 16.    Backscatter, by Gregory Benford
 17.    River of Souls, by Beth Bernobich
 18.    A Window or a Small Box, by Jedediah Berry
 19.    Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes, by Michael Bishop
 20.    Catch ‘Em in the Act, by Terry Bisson
 21.    TVA Baby, by Terry Bisson
 22.    The Cockroach Hat, by Terry Bisson
 23.    Shall We Gather, by Alex Bledsoe
 24.    Prophet, by Jennifer Bosworth
 25.    The Ruined Queen of Harvest World, by Damien Broderick
 26.    Time Considered as a Series of Thermite Burns in No Particular Order, by Damien Broderick
 27.    The Memory Coder, by Jessica Brody
 28.    The Desecrator, by Steven Brust
 29.    Brother. Prince. Snake., by Cecil Castellucci
 30.    We Have Always Lived on Mars, by Cecil Castellucci
 31.    Our Human, by Adam Troy Castro
 32.    The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere, by John Chu
 33.    Fare Thee Well, by Cathy Clamp
 34.    The Commonplace Book, by Jacob Clifton
 35.    What Makes a River, by Deborah Coates
 36.    The Ghosts of Christmas, by Paul Cornell
 37.    The Elephant in the Room, by Paul Cornell
 38.    Day One, by Matthew Costello
 39.    Am I Free To Go?, by Kathryn Cramer
 40.    Tourists, by Sean Craven
 41.    Eve of Sin City, by S.J. Day
 42.    The Cage, by A.M. Dellamonica
 43.    Among the Silvering Herd, by A.M. Dellamonica
 44.    Wild Things, by A.M. Dellamonica
 45.    Things That Make Me Weak and Strange Get Engineered Away, by Cory Doctorow
 46.    On 20468 Petercook, by Andy Duncan
 47.    The Strange Case of Mr. Salad Monday, by G.D. Falksen
 48.    Men Who Wish to Drown, by Elizabeth Fama
 49.    The Iron Shirts, by Michael Flynn
 50.    A Clean Sweep With All the Trimmings, by James Alan Gardner
 51.    Lightbringers and Rainmakers, by Felix Gilman
 52.    Shade, by Steven Gould
 53.    Bugs in the Arroyo, by Steven Gould
 54.    Steampunk Quartet, by Eileen Gunn
 55.    Mother, Crone, Maiden, by Cat Hellisen
 56.    The Ink Readers of Doi Saket, by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
 57.    Too Fond, by Leanna Renee Hieber
 58.    At the Foot of the Lighthouse, by Erin Hoffman
 59.    Ghost Hedgehog, by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
 60.    A Spell of Vengeance, by D.B. Jackson
 61.    The Cat Who Walked a Thousand Miles, by Kij Johnson
 62.    Ponies, by Kij Johnson
 63.    Crazy Me, by James Patrick Kelly
 64.    First Flight, by Mary Robinette Kowal
 65.    How to Make a Triffid, by Kelly Lagor
 66.    A Water Matter, by Jay Lake
 67.    The Speed of Time, by Jay Lake
 68.    The Starship Mechanic, by Jay Lake and Ken Scholes
 69.    Dress Your Marines in White, by Emmy Laybourne
 70.    A Vector Alphabet of Interstellar Travel, by Yoon Ha Lee
 71.    Uncle Flower’s Homecoming Waltz, by Marissa Lingen
 72.    Earth Hour, by Ken MacLeod
 73.    Farewell Performance, by Nick Mamatas
 74.    Though Smoke Shall Hide the Sun, by Brit Mandelo
 75.    The Finite Canvas, by Brit Mandelo
 76.    The Hanging Game, by Helen Marshall
 77.    The Courtship of the Queen, by Bruce McAllister
 78.    Heads Will Roll, by Lish McBride
 79.    Swift, Brutal Retaliation, by Meghan McCarron
 80.    Preparations, by Mark Mills
 81.    About Fairies, by Pat Murphy
 82.    Fire Above, Fire Below, by Garth Nix
 83.    Ruled, by Caragh M. O’Brien
 84.    Hello, Moto, by Nnedi Okorafor
 85.    Sacrifice of the First Sheason, by Peter Orullian
 86.    The Great Defense of Layosah, by Peter Orullian
 87.    The Battle of the Round, by Peter Orullian
 88.    Sweetheart, by Abbi Mei Otis
 89.    Ragnarok, by Paul Park
 90.    Four Horsemen, at Their Leisure, by Richard Parks
 91.    The Rotten Beast, by Mary E. Pearson
 92.    Angel Season, by J.T. Petty
 93.    Silver Linings, by Tim Pratt
 94.    The Button Man and the Murder Tree, by Cherie Priest
 95.    Clockwork Fairies, by Cat Rambo
 96.    The Next Invasion, by Robert Reed
 97.    Our Candidate, by Robert Reed
 98.    Swingers, by Robert Reed
 99.    The Cairn in Slater Woods, by Gina Rosati
 100.  Jack of Coins, by Christopher Rowe
 101.  Jack and the Aktuals, or, Physical Applications of Transfinite Set Theory, by Rudy Rucker
 102.  Good Night, Moon, by Rudy Rucker
 103.  Loco, by Rudy Rucker
 104.  Jacks and Queens at the Green Mill, by Marie Rutkoski
 105.  The Film-Makers of Mars, by Geoff Ryman
 106.  Firstborn, by Brandon Sanderson
 107.  After the Coup, by John Scalzi
 108.  The President’s Brain is Missing, by John Scalzi
 109.  Shadow War of the Night Dragons, Book One: The Dead City: Prologue, by John Scalzi
 110.  A Weeping Czar Beholds the Fallen Moon, by Ken Scholes
 111.  Making My Entrance Again With My Usual Flair, by Ken Scholes
 112.  Two Stories, by Ken Scholes
 113.  If Dragon’s Mass Eve Be Cold and Clear, by Ken Scholes
 114.  Rag and Bone, by Priya Sharma
 115.  Do Not Touch, by Prudence Shen
 116.  The Night Children: An Escape From Furnace Story, by Alexander Gordon Smith
 117.  King of Marbury, by Andrew Smith
 118.  Beauty Belongs to the Flowers, by Matthew Sanborn Smith
 119.  Overtime, by Charles Stross
 120.  Down on the Farm, by Charles Stross
 121.  A Tall Tail, by Charles Stross
 122.  Zeppelin City, by Michael Swanwick
 123.  The Trains That Climb the Winter Tree, by Michael Swanwick
 124.  The Dala Horse, by Michael Swanwick
 125.  The Mongolian Wizard, by Michael Swanwick
 126.  The Fire Gown, by Michael Swanwick
 127.  Day of the Kraken, by Michael Swanwick
 128.  Eros, Philia, Agape, by Rachel Swirsky
 129.  A Memory of Wind, by Rachel Swirsky
 130.  The Monster’s Million Faces, by Rachel Swirsky
 131.  Portrait of Lisane da Patagnia, by Rachel Swirsky
 132.  Sing, by Karin Tidbeck
 133.  What Doctor Gottlieb Saw, by Ian Tregillis
 134.  Vilcabamba, by Harry Turtledove
 135.  The Star and the Rockets, by Harry Turtledove
 136.  The House That George Built, by Harry Turtledove
 137.  We Haven’t Got There Yet, by Harry Turtledove
 138.  Shtetl Days, by Harry Turtledove
 139.  Lee at the Alamo, by Harry Turtledove
 140.  Running of the Bulls, by Harry Turtledove
 141.  The City Quiet as Death, by Steven Utley
 142.  The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland—For a Little While, by Catherynne M. Valente
 143.  Terrain, by Genevieve Valentine
 144.  Last Son of Tomorrow, by Greg van Eekhout
 145.  Errata, by Jeff VanderMeer
 146.  A Stroke of Dumb Luck, by Shiloh Walker
 147.  Last Train to Jubilee Bay, by Kali Wallace
 148.  Escape to Other Worlds with Science Fiction, by Jo Walton
 149.  The Nostalgist, by Daniel H. Wilson
 150.  Super Bass, by Kai Ashante Wilson
 151.  The Palencar Project, by Gregory Benford, L.E. Modesitt, Jr., James Morrow, Michael Swanwick, and Gene Wolfe, Edited by David G. Hartwell

http://rapidgator.net/file/474853bf2e1163c1be2968df469644f6/Tor.rar.html

[Nightflier]

Martin je objavio ToC za svoju novu antologiju, Old Venus.


    “Frogheads” by Allen M. Steele
    “The Drowned Celestrial” by Lavie Tidhar
    “Planet Of Fear” by Paul Mcauley
    “Greeves And The Evening Star” by Matthew Hughes
    “A Planet Called Desire” by Gwyneth Jones
    “Living Hell” by Joe Haldeman
    “Bones Of Air, Bones Of Stone” by Stephen Leigh
    “Ruins” by Eleanor Arnason
    “The Tumbledowns Of Cleopatra Abysee” by David Brin
    “By Frogsled And Lizardback To Outcast Venusian Lepers” by Garth Nix
    “The Sunset Of Time” by Michael Cassutt
    “Pale Blue Memories” by Tobias S. Buckell
    “The Heart’s Filthy Lesson” by Elizabeth Bear
    “The Wizard Of The Trees” by Joe R. Lansdale
    “The Godstone Of Venus” by Mike Resnick
    “Botanica Veneris: Thirteen Papercuts By Ida Countess Rathangan” by Ian Mcdonald

Nažalost, nema Stirlinga - ali ovo je i ovako izvanredan skup SF autora.

[Nightflier]

Svašta nešto od fantazija u avgustu.

Najpre, sa nestrpljenjem očekivano finale trilogije Kingdom of Thorns.

Emperor of Thorns (The Broken Empire) by Mark Lawrence



King Jorg Ancrath is twenty now and king of seven nations. His goal, revenge against his father, has not yet been realized, and the demons that haunt him have only grown stronger. He intends to take the next step in his upward climb. Jorg would be emperor. It is a position not to be gained by the sword but rather by vote. Never in living memory has anyone secured a majority of the vote, leaving the Broken Empire long without a leader. Jorg has plans to change that. He’s uncovered even more of the lost technology of the land, and he won’t hesitate to use it. But he soon finds an adversary standing in his way, a necromancer unlike any he has ever faced, a figure hated and feared even more than himself: the Dead King. The boy who would rule all may have finally met his match.

Prvu knjigu u serijalu A Shifted World još nisam pročitao, ali Pip Balentajn je odlična spisateljica i pravi primer australijske škole fantastike.

Kindred and Wings (A Shifted World Novel) by Philippa Ballantine



On the back of the dragon Wahirangi, Finn the Fox flees the world he has known. As he sets out to find the brother he never knew of, he still holds in his heart the memory of the Hunter. He has denied his love for her, but he cannot deny it forever. In the halls of the Last Believers, Talyn begins to uncover her own mysteries, but her lust for the death of the Caisah is still strong and clouds her vision. She must choose her path, as the Seer of her people or as the assassin of the overlord. Meanwhile, Byre, Talyn’s brother, must venture into the fiery world of the Kindred, to rebuild the pact that his ancestors made. He will risk everything he is as he forms a new pact that will change his people forever. Dragons and myths will be reborn, as the Hunter and her Fox face each other once more.

Pokušao sam da čitam romane ovog čoveka, ali nisam mogao. Više puta. No, bez obzira na moje mišljenje, reč je o jednom od trenutno veoma popularnih pisaca epske fantastike.

The Crown Tower (The Riyria Chronicles) by Michael J. Sullivan



A warrior with nothing to fight for is paired with a thieving assassin with nothing to lose. Together they must steal a treasure that no one can reach. The Crown Tower is the impregnable remains of the grandest fortress ever built and home to the realm’s most valuable possessions. But it isn’t gold or jewels the old wizard is after, and this prize can only be obtained by the combined talents of two remarkable men. Now if Arcadias can just keep Hadrian and Royce from killing each other, they just might succeed.

Novi Endž. Melkor će se radovati.

Wrath-bearing Tree (A Tournament of Shadows Book Two) by James Enge



The masked powers of Fate and Chaos are killing gods in the land of Kaen, facing the Wardlands across the Narrow Sea. Vocates Aloê Oaij and Morlock Ambrosius cross into the unguarded lands, seeking to uncover the reasons for the godslaying, and to avert any threat to the lands the Graith of Guardians has sworn to protect. After crash-landing on the hostile coast of Kaen, the two Guardians confront vengeful frightened gods, a calmly murderous dragon, a demon called Andhrakar, and a bitter old necromancer named Merlin Ambrosius. Amid these dangers they find that they can trust no one but themselves, and each other.

Ovo sam čekao...

Shadows of the New Sun: Stories in Honor of Gene Wolfe by Bill Fawcett and J.E. Mooney



Perhaps no living author of imaginative fiction has earned the awards, accolades, respect, and literary reputation of Gene Wolfe. A select group of Wolfe’s fellow authors pay tribute to the award-winning creator of The Book of the New Sun, The Fifth Head of Cerberus, Soldier of the Mist, The Wizard Knight and many others, with new stories. Among the contributors: Neil Gaiman, David Brin, David Drake, Nancy Kress, and many others. Includes two new short stories by Gene Wolfe.

[neomedjeni]

Jel me vara sećanje ili je pre 5-6 godina (ili čak ranije) bilo glasina na netu da je Volf nagovestio da će da napiše još jednu knjigu o Severijanu?
Pretpostavljam da od toga ipak neće biti ništa.

[Nightflier]

Nisam čuo za to. Iskren da budem, ne bih ni voleo da do toga dođe. Ima onih koji smatraju da je i peta knjiga višak.

[Nightflier]

Laguna za Noć knjige priprema fantazijski udar. Najpre "Put kraljeva" Brendona Sandersona, a onda i "Poslužiti hladno" Džoa Aberkrombija.

[Nightflier]

http://nightfliersbookspace.blogspot.com/2014/10/put-kraljeva-u-noci-knjige.html

[Nightflier]

U, najs. Tema probila 250k vjuova.

Nadam se da ću od NG imati vremena da joj se opet posvetim.

[Nightflier]

MARSOVAC - Endi Vir



Bestseler Njujork tajmsa, knjiga koja je postala fenomen i pre nego što je objavljena.
 „Pretpostavljam da će na kraju neko ipak naći ove beleške. Možda za sto godina... Samo da se zna: nisam umro šestog sola. Ostatak posade je svakako mislio da sam skončao i ne mogu da ih krivim. Možda će zbog moje smrti proglasiti Dan nacionalne žalosti, možda će na mojoj stranici Vikipedije pisati: Mark Vatni je jedini čovek koji je umro na Marsu. I verovatno će biti u pravu. Zato što ću sigurno umreti ovde. Onda, da vidimo... Odakle da počnem?“
 Mark Vatni, astronaut iz misije Ares, sticajem nesrećnih okolnosti ostao je na Marsu, a posada njegovog broda ubeđena je da je Mark skončao na Crvenoj planeti. Ali Vatni je odlučio da se ne preda...
 „Oštroumna, duhovita i napeta priča, s pravom merom štreberskog entuzijazma.“ Kirkus rivju
 „Briljantno... himna ljudskoj pronicljivosti najautentičniji, najuzbudljiviji naučnofantastični roman u poslednjih mnogo godina.“ Volstrit džurnal
 „Kada vam dvoje ljudi koji se ne poznaju preporuče istu knjigu, nema sumnje da na nju treba obratiti pažnju... Sjajna knjiga, vrhunska u svom žanru.“ Njujork tajms
 „Napeta od početka do kraja, priča u kojoj se nije potkralo ni jedno jedino zrnce neuverljivosti. Nemoguće je oteti se utisku da bi ono što je opisano u Marsovcu moglo uistinu da se desi.“ Patrik Li, autor Begunca, bestselera Njujork tajmsa
 Premijera filma Marsovac u režiji Ridlija Skota, sa Metom Dejmonom u glavnoj ulozi zakazana je za novembar 2015. godine.

 

[Nightflier]

Inače, "Marsovac" je ove godine odneo Goodreads. ako već negde nije pomenuto.

[Nightflier]

Reših da se vratim ovoj temi.

Objavljen je sadržaj nove godišnje antologije najbolje SF priče. Priređivač je Gardner Dozoa.




    “The Fifth Dragon” by Ian McDonald (Reach for Infinity)
    “The Rider” by Jérôme Cigut (F&SF)
    “The Days of the War, as Red as Blood, as Dark as Bile” by Aliette de Bodard (Subterranean Online)
    “The Burial of Sir John Mawe at Cassini” by Chaz Brenchley (Subterranean Online)
    “The Regular” by Ken Liu (Upgraded)
    “The Woman from the Ocean” by Karl Bunker (Asimov’s)
    “Shooting the Apocalypse” by Paolo Bacigalupi (The End Is Nigh)
    “Weather” by Susan Palwick (Clarkesworld)
    “The Hand Is Quicker” by Elizabeth Bear (The Book of Robert Silverberg)
    “The Man Who Sold the Moon” by Cory Doctorow (Hieroglyph)
    “Vladimir Chong Chooses To Die” by Lavie Tidhar (Analog)
    “Beside the Damned River” by D.J. Cockburn (Interzone)
    “The Colonel” by Peter Watts (Tor.com)
    “Entanglement” by Vandana Singh (Hieroglyph)
    “White Curtain” by Pavel Amnuel (F&SF)
    “Slipping” by Lauren Beukes (Twelve Tomorrows)
    “Passage of Earth” by Michael Swanwick (Clarkesworld)
    “Amicae Aeternum” by Ellen Klages (Reach for Infinity)
    “In Babelsberg” by Alastair Reynolds (Reach for Infinity)
    “Sadness” by Timons Esaias (Analog)
    “West to East” by Jay Lake (Subterranean Online)
    “Grand Jeté (The Great Leap)” by Rachel Swirsky (Subterranean Online)
    “Covenant” by Elizabeth Bear (Hieroglyph)
    “Jubilee” by Karl Schroeder (Tor.com)
    “Los Piratas del Mar de Plastico (Pirates of the Plastic Ocean)” by Paul Graham Raven (Twelve Tomorrows)
    “Red Light, and Rain” by Gareth L. Powell (Solaris Rising 3)
    “Coma Kings” by Jessica Barber (Lightspeed)
    “The Prodigal Son” by Allen M. Steele (Asimov’s)
    “God Decay” by Rich Larson (Upgraded)
    “Blood Wedding” by Robert Reed (Asimov’s)
    “The Long Haul, from the Annals of Transportation, The Pacific Monthly, May 2009” by Ken Liu (Clarkesworld)
    “Shadow Flock” by Greg Egan (Coming Soon Enough)
    “Thing and Sick” by Adam Roberts (Solaris Rising 3)
    “Communion” by Mary Anne Mohanraj (Clarkesworld)
    “Someday” by James Patrick Kelly (Asimov’s)
    “Yesterday’s Kin” by Nancy Kress (Tachyon)

U načelu, ovo me ne zanima previše pošto sam naklonjeniji multižanrovskim ili tematskim antologijama, ali verujem da će već nekome biti zanimljivo.

[Nightflier]

Inače, sve je više priča i novela povezanih sa poznatim serijalima koje se prodaju nezavisno, u elektronskom formatu. Moram priznati da mi se ovo veoma dopada kao svojevrsna zamena za časopise. Nakon što je led probio Ejbrahan/Frank sa novelama iz serijala Expanse, a potom uspešno nastavio Maklelan, trendu se pridružio Danijel Polanski, koji je sa svojom trilogijom Low Town izbio među prva tri nova pisca fantazije. Od pre neki dan može da se kupi prikvel priča iz sveta Low Towna.

A Drink Before We Die: A Low Town Short



A thrilling introduction to the world of the widely acclaimed Low Town trilogy.
 
Rigus is the greatest city in the Thirteen Lands, a glittering metropolis of towering citadels and sumptuous manors, where bored nobles settle affairs of honor with cold steel, and sorcerers craft enchantments of wonder and majesty.
 
But light casts shade, and in the shadow of the spires the baseborn struggle, eeking out an existence amidst the cast-offs of their betters. This is Low Town, a sprawling warren of side streets and back alleys, of boarded-up windows and false storefronts. Here the corner boys do a steady trade to the dead-eyed and despairing, and a life can be bought with a clipped copper penny.
 
Low Town is an ugly place, and its champion is an ugly man. Once a war hero and intelligence agent, now a crime lord addicted to cheap violence and expensive narcotics, the Warden struggles to maintain some semblance of order in a corner of the world where chaos is the natural state.

[Nightflier]

Sema Sajksa nisam čitao, ali rekao bih da se etablirao kao solidan autor srednjeg ranga. Njegov novi serijal očito se kreće linijom između Danijela Polanskog i Džo Aberkrombija, što zapravo i nije loša linija za kretanje. Očekujem da ću ga čitati tokom januara.

The City Stained Red by Sam Sykes


STEP UP TO THE GATES

After years in the wilds, Lenk and his companions have come to the city that serves as the world's beating heart.

The great charnel house where men die surer than any wilderness.
They've come to claim payment for creatures slain, blood spilled at the behest of a powerful holy man.

And Lenk has come to lay down his sword for good.
But this is no place to escape demons.

[Nightflier]

http://relentlessreading.com/2014/12/29/coming-soon-a-look-at-my-most-anticipated-books-for-2015/

[Nightflier]

Ova čitalačka godina, što se mene tiče, počinje povratkom Simona R. Grina svom serijalu Nightside. Nakon što je završio sa NS i počeo Secret Histories i Druda, potpuno sam prestao da ga pratim. Iskreno se nadam da ova zbirka priča označava povratak Noćnoj Strani - pošto je jedno vreme Grin sa ovim serijalom parirao Bučerovim "Drezdenovim dosijeima", ako ih nije čak i nadmašivao.


New York Times bestselling author Simon R. Green returns to the “bizarre and gleefully dangerous backdrop” (Jim Butcher, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Dresden Files) of the Nightside with this landmark collection of short fiction.
   
 Welcome to the Nightside. It’s the secret heart of London, beating to its own rhythm, pumping lifeblood through the veins of its streets and alleys hidden in eternal darkness, where creatures of the night congregate and where the sun is afraid to shine. It’s the place to go if you’re looking to indulge the darker side of your nature—and to hell with the consequences.
   
   Tales from the Nightside presents ten macabre mysteries that shine a dim beam into the neighborhood’s darkest corners to reveal things that should never come to light. Take a walk with such deadly and dangerous denizens of the Nightside as Razor Eddie, Dead Boy, and Larry Oblivion as they encounter things even more inhuman and inhumane than they are. And join John Taylor, the PI with a knack for finding lost things, as he confronts Sir Francis Varney, King of the Vampires, in a never-before-published novella-length adventure.
   
   There may be nothing to be afraid of in the dark, but there’s plenty to be afraid of in the Nightside…
 
   Includes “The Big Game,” a Never-Before-Published Nightside Novella and Nine Other Favorite Nightside Stories
   

[Nightflier]

Ovog meseca svašta nešto novo. Naslov kojem se najviše radujem je nastavak izvanrednog California Bones, koji mi je među najboljim romanima koje sam pročitao prošle godine.

Pacific Fire by Greg van Eekhout



I’m Sam. I’m just this guy.

Okay, yeah, I’m a golem created from the substance of his own magic by the late Hierarch of Southern California. With a lot of work, I might be able to wield magic myself. I kind of doubt it, though. Not like Daniel Blackland can.

Daniel’s the reason the Hierarch’s gone and I’m still alive. He’s also the reason I’ve lived my entire life on the run. Ten years of never, ever going back to Los Angeles. Daniel’s determined to protect me. To teach me.

But it gets old. I’ve got nobody but Daniel. I’ll never do anything normal. Like attend school. Or date a girl.

Now it’s worse. Because things are happening back in LA. Very bad people are building a Pacific firedrake, a kind of ultimate weapon of mass magical destruction.  Daniel seemed to think only he could stop them. Now Daniel’s been hurt. I managed to get us to the place run by the Emmas. (Many of them. All named Emma. It’s a long story.) They seem to be healing him, but he isn’t going anyplace soon.

Do I even have a reason for existing, if it isn’t to prevent this firedrake from happening? I’m good at escaping from things. Now I’ve escaped from Daniel and the Emmas, and I’m on my way to LA.

This may be the worst idea I ever had.

[Nightflier]

Kej Kenjon ima novi roman. Nažalost, za minornog izdavača, koji očito nema mogućnosti da je promoviše kako ona to zaslužuje. Kenjonkina tetralogija The Entire and the Rose je remek-delo naučne fantastike, ali publika očito više nema naklonosti prema pomalo poetskom izrazu u naučnoj fantastici, pa je valjda otud i bila loše prihvaćena. Kenjon se tu pridružuje spisateljicama poput Patriše Hodžel, koja je dugo lutala s izdavačima dok se - paradoksalno - nije skrasila u Bejnu i Lorne Friman, naime autorkama vanrednog spisateljskog dara koje su se pojavile u pogrešno vreme ili kod pogrešnog izdavača, ili ono što pišu samo za nijansu odstupa od zahteva i potreba tržišta.

Kenjon se izgleda rešila da makar na neki način pokuša da tržištu udovolji. Njen novi roman nosi naslov

Queen of the Deep by Kay Kenyon



 On the streets of New York, Jane Gray meets an intriguing man who claims to be the impossible: an imaginary playmate from her childhood: Prince Starling. Determined to know the truth, Jane tracks him into another realm.
 
This is the world of the Palazzo, a magical ship which is both a colossal steam vessel and a Renaissance kingdom. Ruling over its denizens--both human and otherwise--is an exotic and dangerous queen. Jane must find her way home, but the path is hopelessly lost.
 
Promising romance, the enigmatic Prince Starling and big-hearted crime lord Niccolo vie for Jane's heart. But she has her eye on the pilot house. Who--or what--guides the Palazzo, and what is the urgent secret of its endless voyage? As a shocking destination looms into view, Jane must choose both a lover and a ship's course, one that may avoid the end of all things.
 
Praise for the Writing of Kay Kenyon
 
"Queen of the Deep is fascinatingly conceived, brilliantly handled, and thoroughly enjoyable. Which is to say, it's typical Kenyon." —Mike Resnick
 
"Kay Kenyon has always been a world-builder extraordinaire, and in her new fantasy she creates an alternate reality that is romantic, theatrical, magical—and full of dangerous secrets." —Sharon Shinn
 
"Kenyon's vision of a unique universe ranks with those of such science fiction greats as Frank Herbert and Orson Scott Card." —Publishers Weekly
   

Po opisu bih rekao da ovim delom KK pokušava da zagrabi mrvice ogromnog kolača urbane fantastike, ali ostaje nada da je to ipak učinila tako da njeno delo odskače od žanrovskog proseka. Kej Kenjon je ranijim delima pokazala da zaslužuje popularnost kakvu sada imaju En Leki i Ketrin Edison (Sara Monet), ali ti naslovi su najverovatnije objavljeni u pogrešnom trenutku. No, već kratkim opisom romana pred nama reklo bi se da će uobičajeni ljubavnotrouglasti zaplet biti rešen na bajkovitiji i čudniji način nego što je to manir trenutnom proseku urbane fantastike.
 

[Nightflier]

Danas je objavljen novi roman Karen Lord,

The Galaxy Game by Karen Lord



Karen Lord is one of today’s most brilliant young talents. Her science fiction, like that of predecessors Ursula K. Le Guin and China Miéville, combines star-spanning plots, deeply felt characters, and incisive social commentary. With The Galaxy Game, Lord presents a gripping adventure that showcases her dazzling imagination as never before.
 
 On the verge of adulthood, Rafi attends the Lyceum, a school for the psionically gifted. Rafi possesses mental abilities that might benefit people . . . or control them. Some wish to help Rafi wield his powers responsibly; others see him as a threat to be contained. Rafi’s only freedom at the Lyceum is Wallrunning: a game of speed and agility played on vast vertical surfaces riddled with variable gravity fields.
 
 Serendipity and Ntenman are also students at the Lyceum, but unlike Rafi they come from communities where such abilities are valued. Serendipity finds the Lyceum as much a prison as a school, and she yearns for a meaningful life beyond its gates. Ntenman, with his quick tongue, quicker mind, and a willingness to bend if not break the rules, has no problem fitting in. But he too has his reasons for wanting to escape.
 
 Now the three friends are about to experience a moment of violent change as seething tensions between rival star-faring civilizations come to a head. For Serendipity, it will challenge her ideas of community and self. For Ntenman, it will open new opportunities and new dangers. And for Rafi, given a chance to train with some of the best Wallrunners in the galaxy, it will lead to the discovery that there is more to Wallrunning than he ever suspected . . . and more to himself than he ever dreamed.

[Nightflier]

Za neku godinu verovatno ćemo o ovom serijalu pričati kao o novim "Igrama gladi". Nažalost, nisam stigao da overim ni prvi deo.

Golden Son: Book II of the Red Rising Trilogy by Pierce Brown




With shades of The Hunger Games, Ender’s Game, and Game of Thrones, debut author Pierce Brown’s genre-defying epic Red Rising hit the ground running and wasted no time becoming a sensation. Golden Son continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom.

As a Red, Darrow grew up working the mines deep beneath the surface of Mars, enduring backbreaking labor while dreaming of the better future he was building for his descendants. But the Society he faithfully served was built on lies. Darrow’s kind have been betrayed and denied by their elitist masters, the Golds—and their only path to liberation is revolution. And so Darrow sacrifices himself in the name of the greater good for which Eo, his true love and inspiration, laid down her own life. He becomes a Gold, infiltrating their privileged realm so that he can destroy it from within.
 
 A lamb among wolves in a cruel world, Darrow finds friendship, respect, and even love—but also the wrath of powerful rivals. To wage and win the war that will change humankind’s destiny, Darrow must confront the treachery arrayed against him, overcome his all-too-human desire for retribution—and strive not for violent revolt but a hopeful rebirth. Though the road ahead is fraught with danger and deceit, Darrow must choose to follow Eo’s principles of love and justice to free his people.
 
 He must live for more.

Advance praise for Golden Son
 
 “Pierce Brown is a prodigy. As great as the first book of the Red Rising Trilogy is, Golden Son is even better. A wild ride full of suspense, intrigue, and serious ass-kicking bravado, it’s expertly written and emotionally engaging, with top-notch universe-building that begs for further exploration. I want more!”—Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of Snowblind
 
 “The stakes are even higher than they were in Red Rising, and the twists and turns of the story are every bit as exciting. The jaw-dropper of an ending will leave readers hungry for the conclusion to Brown’s wholly original, completely thrilling saga.”—Booklist (starred review)
   
 “Dramatic . . . the rare middle book that loses almost no momentum as it sets up the final installment.”—Publishers Weekly
 
 “Darrow is an assertive hero. . . . Comparisons to The Hunger Games and Game of Thrones series are inevitable, for this tale has elements of both.”—Kirkus Reviews

 Praise for Pierce Brown’s Red Rising
 
 “[A] spectacular adventure . . . one heart-pounding ride . . . Pierce Brown’s dizzyingly good debut novel evokes The Hunger Games, Lord of the Flies, and Ender’s Game. . . . [Red Rising] has everything it needs to become meteoric.”—Entertainment Weekly
 
 “[A] top-notch debut novel . . . Red Rising ascends above a crowded dystopian field.”—USA Today
 
 “Compulsively readable and exceedingly entertaining . . . [a] must for both fans of classic sci-fi and fervent followers of new school dystopian epics.”—Examiner.com
 
 “A story of vengeance, warfare and the quest for power . . . reminiscent of The Hunger Games and Game of Thrones.”—Kirkus Reviews
 
 “Fast-paced, gripping, well-written—the sort of book you cannot put down.”—Terry Brooks

[zakk]

Za neku godinu verovatno ćemo o ovom serijalu pričati kao o novim "Igrama gladi". Nažalost, nisam stigao da overim ni prvi deo.

Jel to dobro ili loše?

[Nightflier]

Ne znam. Nisam stigao ni prvi deo da pročitam - ali kritike su odlične. Doduše, izgleda da je publika nešto starija nego u slučaju "Igara gladi"/"Divergentnih" i kažu ljudi da dosta vuče na Endera. Svakako ga neću skoro čitati. Najpre da završim Repaer's Gale, pa me čekaju dve knjige Kej Kenjon (koja je veličanstvena), pa da zavšim Sum (što ne bi trebalo da potraje dugo, ali priče su nenormalno dobre, pa čitam jednu u nekoliko dana), pa tek onda da vidim šta ću dalje.

[Nightflier]

Ako Nil Gejman ima naslednika, onda je to Holi Blek.

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black




Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they're destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she's found the thing she's been made for.Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries' seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.
At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointy as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.
Until one day, he does...
As the world turns upside down and a hero is needed to save them all, Hazel tries to remember her years spent pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?

From School Library Journal Gr 8 Up—Fairfold is no ordinary town. Its citizens live in uneasy détente with the surrounding forest's magical Folk. Like most residents, siblings Hazel and Ben fear and desire the magic that hovers just out of reach. The Fae gifted Ben with a supernatural musical ability that he cannot control. Hazel's own bargain with the Folk causes her many sleepless nights. Fairfold's fragile equilibrium tips when Hazel frees imprisoned Prince Severin, setting in motion a war with Severin's father, the Faerie king. Hazel and Ben will have to confront long-buried secrets if they want their town to survive. Once again, Black examines the intersection between self-reliance and guilt. Neither Hazel nor Ben nor Hazel's love interest, Jack, can combat the Faerie attack until they reveal their secret desires, often transformed and augmented by Folk magic. Black deeply embeds these conflicts in her story, but anecdotes and flashbacks pull readers away from present action, curiously slowing the pacing into a dreamlike holding pattern. Action scenes pepper the story, but the author's detailed world-building continually restrains the pace. Lush settings juxtapose the wild, alien nature of Faerie against the normalcy of mortal existence. Familiar tropes like Hazel's romance with changeling Jack and her conflict with the Faerie king will not surprise readers much, although Ben's crush on Prince Severin provides interest. While not Black's best, it is still better than most teen fantasy. Pair with the faster-paced "Modern Faerie Tales" (S. & S.), or, for a satisfying slow build and dense setting, try Robin McKinley's novels.—Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Library Association, CT

[Nightflier]

THE BEST SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY OF THE YEAR, VOLUME 9 Edited by Jonathan Strahan

DISTANT WORLDS, TIME TRAVEL, EPIC ADVENTURE, UNSEEN WONDERS AND MUCH MORE! The best, most original and brightest science fiction and fantasy stories from around the globe from the past twelve months are brought together in one collection by multiple award-winning editor Jonathan Strahan. This highly popular series now reaches volume nine and will include stories from both the biggest names in the field and the most exciting new talents. Previous volumes have included stories from Neil Gaiman, Stephen King, Cory Doctorow, Stephen Baxter, Elizabeth Bear, Joe Abercrombie, Paolo Bacigalupi, Holly Black, Garth Nix, Jeffrey Ford, Margo Lanagan, Bruce Sterling, Adam Robets, Ellen Klages, and many many more.

• “Tough Times All Over” by Joe Abercrombie
• “The Scrivener” by Eleanor Arnason
• “Moriabe’s Children” by Paolo Bacigalupi
• “Covenant” by Elizabeth Bear
• “Slipping” by Lauren Beukes
• 6. “Ten Rules for Being an Intergalactic Smuggler (The Successful Kind)” by Holly Black
• “Shadow Flock” by Greg Egan
• “The Truth About Owls” by Amal El-Mohtar
• “Cimmeria: From the Journal of Imaginary Anthropology” by Theodora Goss
• “Cold Wind” by Nicola Griffith
• “Someday” by James Patrick Kelly
• “Interstate Love Song (Murder Ballad No.” by Caitlin R Kiernan
• “Mothers, Lock Up Your Daughters Because They are Terrifying” by Alice Sola Kim
• “Amicae Aeternum” by Ellen Klages
• “Calligo Lane” by Ellen Klages
• “The Lady and the Fox” by Kelly Link
• “The Long Haul From the ANNALS OF TRANSPORTATION” by The Pacific Monthly, May 2009″ by Ken Liu
• “The Vaporization Enthalpy of a Peculiar Pakistani Family” by Usman T Malik
• “Four Days of Christmas” by Tim Maughan
• “The Fifth Dragon” by Ian McDonald
• “Shay Corsham Worsted” by Garth Nix
• “I Met a Man Who Wasn’t There” by K. J. Parker
• “Kheldyu” by Karl Schroeder
• “Tawny Petticoats” by Michael Swanwick
• “Grand Jeté (The Great Leap)” by Rachel Swirsky
• “The Insects of Love” by Genevieve Valentine
• “Collateral” by Peter Watts
• “The Devil in America” by Kai Ashante Wilson

[Nightflier]

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/features/100-science-fiction-and-fantasy-and-horror-books-l/#continue_reading_post

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/features/100-science-fiction-and-fantasy-and-horror-part-2/

[Nightflier]

Poslednjih godima imamo sve više urbane fantastike smeštene u premoderno doba - bilo da je reč o sword and sorcery mizanscenu po uzoru na Lajberov Lankmar, ili nekakvom stimpank okruženju, ili čak edvardijanskom društvu poput onoga iz City of Stairs. Anywayz, evo jednog na prvi pogled zanimljivog romana koji prati ovaj trend.

Master of Plagues by E.L. Tettensor



>Unraveling a deadly mystery takes time—and his is running out…
Having barely escaped the clutches of the Darkwalker, Inspector Nicolas Lenoir throws himself into his work with a determination he hasn’t known in years. But his legendary skills are about to be put to the test. A horrific disease is ravaging the city—and all signs point to it having been deliberately unleashed.
With a mass murderer on the loose, a rising body count, and every hound in the city on quarantine duty, the streets of Kennian are descending into mayhem, while Lenoir and his partner, Sergeant Bran Kody, are running out of time to catch a killer and find a cure.
Only one ray of hope exists: the nomadic Adali, famed for their arcane healing skills, claim to have a cure. But dark magic comes at a price, one even the dying may be unwilling to pay. All that’s left to Lenoir is a desperate gamble. And when the ashes settle, the city of Kennian will be changed forever… 

[Nightflier]

Upravo sam pročitao

Darkwalker by E.L. Tettensor



He used to be the best detective on the job. Until he became the hunted...
   
 Once a legendary police inspector, Nicolas Lenoir is now a disillusioned and broken man who spends his days going through the motions and his evenings drinking away the nightmares of his past. Ten years ago, Lenoir barely escaped the grasp of the Darkwalker, a vengeful spirit who demands a terrible toll on those who have offended the dead. But the Darkwalker does not give up on his prey so easily, and Lenoir has always known his debt would come due one day.
   
   When Lenoir is assigned to a disturbing new case, he treats the job with his usual apathy—until his best informant, a street savvy orphan, is kidnapped. Desperate to find his young friend before the worst befalls him, Lenoir will do anything catch the monster responsible for the crimes, even if it means walking willingly into the arms of his own doom…

Ovaj roman se pojavio krajem sada već pretprošle godine, pa je to - u kombinaciji sa ljigavom naslovnicom - najverovatnije bilo razlog zašto sam ga zaobišao. U međuvremenu sam naleteo na priličan hajp glede nastavka, pa sam tokom ove noći pročitao Darkwalkear (kad već nisam mogao da spavam).

Darkwalker je klasična urbana fantastika, odnosno detektivski roman smešten u fantazijsko okruženje. Kao što je već trend poslednjih godina, Darkwalker nije smešten u savremenu urbanu sredinu, već u sekundarni svet nešto nižeg nivoa civilizacijskog razvoja - u ovom slučaju, ekvivalent našem početku devetnaestog veka (iako ćete u prikazima videti izraz "viktorijanski", štimung romana zapravo nema veze sa viktorijanskim miljeom).
Roman donekle jeste klišeiziran, sa drkadžijom detektivom u ulozi protagoniste, njegovim vernim mišićavim ali blago tupavim pomoćnikom dobrog srca i dodatnim sajdkikom u vidu derana sa ulice. Unatoč svim klišeima, svet je dobro osmišljen i uverljiv. Rasna trvenja između vanila ljudi i ekvivalenta Roma prikazana su sasvim dobro, ali ne u toj meri da je roman preopterećen društvenom angažovanošću, a jezik autorke (inače Kanađanke) za nekoliko koplja odskače od uobičajenog jezika urbane, a bogami i ostalih fantastika danas u ponudi.
Iako Darkwalker nije preterano ambiciozan smesta se našao među meni omiljenim naslovima. Živa je šteta što marketing nije bolje odrađen, pošto Darkwalker može bez stida da stoji uz City of Stairs i Goblin Emperor, ali čini se da je autorka ipak stekla pristojno poštovanje publike, budući da nas od drugog romana u serijalu deli nešto manje od dve nedelje.
Moja konačna ocena je za zvezdicu niža nego što bi mogla da bude - i to samo zbog prilično velikog logičkog propusta, na mestu gde je mogao da se izbegne samo tako. Nije mi jasno kako urednik to nije primetio i skrenuo pažnju autorki.
Sve u svemu, svaka preporuka - naročito fanovima City of Stairs - i ocena 4/5

[Nightflier]

Neka informacije o ovoj knjizi za sada stoje ovde. Nisam siguran da će je Laguna raditi - a nisu ni oni - mada mislim da su izgledi prilično dobri.

THE WHEEL OF TIME COMPANION

The book has been written by Robert Jordan's widow, Harriet McDougall, with his writing assistants Alan Romanczuk and Maria Simons providing assistance. The book draws on the hundreds of thousands of words of notes Robert Jordan wrote during his writing of the series, detailing many aspects of the world and its cultures which never appeared in the books themselves.
 
 The book will feature an entry for each named character, which with well over 2,000 named characters in the book series alone is quite some feat. Even Bela (Egwene's much put-upon horse) gets her own entry. There will also be an extensive dictionary of terms in the Old Tongue, featuring at least 1,000 words and their usage. There will be new portraits for most of the characters, and information on the histories and customs of the major nations. This is likely to be expanded upon the already extensive information presented in The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time (1997). There will also be information on the flora and fauna of the world, likely partially drawn from an article Robert Jordan wrote for Dragon Magazine back in 2001. Most intriguing is the presentation of a list of channellers and details on their respective strength/power levels relative to one another, something hardcore fans have been asking to see for years.
 
 The book will be published in November 2015.

[Nightflier]

DakleM,

ako niste primetili, promenio sam naslov teme, tako da sada glasi "Nove i pročitane knjige". Em je naslov više u skladu sa sadržajem teme (makar u njenim ranim danima), em me mrzi da trčkaram po milion tema i da pišem o knjigama koje sam pročitao ili odustao od njih, ili šta već.

Naravno, svi koji budu raspoloženi da učestvuju sa utiscima o novim i/ili pročitanim knjigama iz svojih biblioteka ovde su više nego dobrodošli.

[neomedjeni]

Može, sad samo da nešto i pročitam, da bi imao šta da prijavim. 


Inače, Laguna je preskočila i The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time. S tim u vezi nije bilo planova?

[Nightflier]

To se svakako neće raditi. No, sadržaj The World of Wheel of Time svejedno je uključen (i dopunjen i proširen) u Wheel of Time Companion, tako da nije nikak'a šteta.

[neomedjeni]

E, lepo. To bi već moglo da me natera da ovu mamiparu čak i pazarim. 

[Nightflier]

Pod uslovom da budu hteli da je rade. Verujem da će knjiga biti krajnje skupa za proizvodnju, a pitanje je koliko će biti sigurnih kupaca. S druge strane, verujem da će proći bolje od gomile drugih enciklopedijskih izdanja, koja su nezasluženo propala, poput izvanredne "Sage o umetnosti".

[Nightflier]

Nov SF, veoma hajpovan u uredničko-kritičarskim krugovima, ali tek osrednje primljen kod čitalaca (3/5 na Amazonu, 3,7/5 na Gudridsu). Meni je dopao na listu iz poslovnih razloga, pa da vidimo.



Lieutenant Peter Cochrane of the Quantar Royal Navy believes he has his future clearly mapped out. It begins with his new assignment as an officer on Her Majesty’s Spaceship Starbound, a Lightship bound for deep space voyages of exploration.
 
   But everything changes when Peter is summoned to the office of his father, Grand Admiral Nathan Cochrane, and given devastating news: the death of a loved one. In a distant solar system, a mysterious and unprovoked attack upon Lightship Impulse resulted in the deaths of Peter’s former girlfriend and many of her shipmates.
 
   Now Peter's plans are torn asunder as he is transferred to a Unified Space Navy ship under foreign command, en route to an unexpected destination, and surrounded almost entirely by strangers. To top it off, his superiors have given him secret orders that might force him to become a mutineer.
 
   The crisis at hand becomes a gateway to something much more when the ship’s Historian leads Peter and his shipmates into a galaxy of the unknown -- of ancient technologies, age-old rivalries, new cultures, and unexpected romance. It’s an overwhelming responsibility for Peter, and one false step could plunge humanity into an apocalyptic interstellar war….

[Nightflier]

Nažalost, "Impuls" je teško smeće - čak ni zabavno, samo smeće. Deluje kao da je neko smućkao ranog Dejvida Vebera, Vorhamer 40K i dašak Lois Mekmaster Bižol, ali uzimajući najpovršnije elemente. Svakako neću preporučiti za objavljivanje. 1/5

[Nightflier]

Za moju naklonost prema urbanoj fantastici posve je kriv Monolit 9, koji mi je inače i najdraži od svih Monolita što su mi pali šaka. Pretpostavljam da je dobrim delom zaslužan i "Dosije X", koji je po mnogo čemu destilat ovog žanra fantastične književnosti. Tokom početka dvehiljaditih dočepao sam se najpre serijala o Aniti Blejk, pa tek potom Sonje Blu i ranih radova Mercedes Leki, koja je prilično revolucionarno za ono vreme pristupala UF. I dan-danas mi je urbana fantastika grešno zadovoljstvo, ali rastom popularnosti ovog sada već žanra došlo je do pada kvaliteta across board, što bi se reklo. Zato su retki biseri samim tim dragoceniji.

Dark Currents: Agent of Hel by Jacqueline Carey




The Midwestern resort town of Pemkowet boasts a diverse population: eccentric locals, wealthy summer people, and tourists by the busload—not to mention fairies, sprites, vampires, naiads, ogres, and a whole host of eldritch folk, presided over by Hel, a reclusive Norse goddess. 
 
 To Daisy Johanssen, fathered by an incubus and raised by a single mother, it’s home. And as Hel’s enforcer and the designated liaison to the Pemkowet Police Department, it’s up to her to ensure relations between the mundane and eldritch communities run smoothly.
 
 But when a young man from a nearby college drowns—and signs point to eldritch involvement—the town’s booming paranormal tourism trade is at stake. Teamed up with her childhood crush, Officer Cody Fairfax, a sexy werewolf on the down-low, Daisy must solve the crime—and keep a tight rein on the darker side of her nature. For if she’s ever tempted to invoke her demonic birthright, it could accidentally unleash nothing less than Armageddon. 

Džeklin Keri je poznata po serijalu mračne i donekle erotske fantastike, smeštenom u kvazirenesansni sekundarni svet. Kerijeva je očito rešila da proširi svoje čitalačko telo uplovljavajući u komercijalnije urbanofantazijske vode - i to je izvela sjajno.

Svojevremeno, kada se ovaj naslov tek pojavio, odbila me je od njega kako naslovnica tako i siže. Problem sa širenjem UF između ostalog je i u nedostatku svežih ideja u kreiranju fantazijskog okruženja uklopljenog u naš svet. Na prvi pogled, Kerijeva je bežeći od klišea (vampirsko-vukodlačko-magijski ljubavni trougao) otišla u suprotan kliše. No, njena ženska verzija Helboja pokazala se daleko svežijom i zabavnijom nego što sam očekivao.

Nažalost, Dark Currents je i dalje daleko sumorne i prljave ženske urbane fantastike/horora devedesetih, ali je takođe prilično daleko od savremenih erotskih sapunica koje dominiraju žanrom.

Sve u svemu, 4/5

[Mica Milovanovic]

Tačno sam znao da je Boban kriv za sve,..
I za horor, i za urbanu fantastiku, i za domaću fanastiku...

[Nightflier]

Boban je imao prilično revolucionarnu uređivačku politiku za svoje vreme. Možda zbog toga što je pratio svetske trendove, umesto da se oslanja na svoj okus. Sreća pa nikada nije čitao knjige - ko zna šta bi u suprotnom objavljivao...

[Mica Milovanovic]

Boban i sada ima revolucionarnu uređivačku politiku... 

[Nightflier]

Jok, sada je kontrarevolucionarna. Zapravo, kad bolje razmislim, samo kontra...

[Nightflier]

Maklelanova trilogija "Barutni mag" popularisala je talas takozvane "barutske fantastike", odnosno fantazije smeštene van tipičnog srednjovekovnog okruženja, već na prag novog doba - otprilike u ekvivalent početka našeg devetanestog veka. Osećaj mi govori da ovaj pravac neće biti ni izbliza popularan kao stimpank ili grimdark, ali ipak ima svoje poklonike, što je omogućilo da Đango Veksler objavi svoju barutsku trilogiju, a najavljeni su i romani Ejdrijana Čajkovskog, koji će kombinovati vojnu fantaziju sa barutom.

Bilo kako bilo, Maklelan je nedavno objavio završnicu svoje trilogije, s tim da je praznine između romana popunjavao nizom manje-više uspešnih e-novela. Moram priznati da mi se ovaj pristup veoma dopada, naročito pošto otvara mogućnosti za reanimaciju kratke forme. Naravno, ove novele su popularne pre svega zbog povezanosti sa svetovima etabliranim u popularnim romanima, ali tek je to prilika za shared worlds settinge, poput Star Warsa - ili čak Wheel of Time, zašto da ne. Enivejz, Maklelan se za sada pokazao ne vrhunskim ali sasvim solidnim i disciplinovanim piscem, čija su prva dva romana smeštena negde po sredini kategorije "vrlo dobro". Donekle se radujem završnici Powder Mage-a, jer mi se čini da od Maklelana možemo očekivati mnogo više i da bi mogao da postane popularniji pisac ako bi se odmakao od niše u koju se smestio.

The Autumn Republic (The Powder Mage Trilogy) by Brian McClellan



IN A RICH, DISTINCTIVE WORLD THAT MIXES MAGIC WITH TECHNOLOGY, WHO COULD STAND AGAINST MAGES THAT CONTROL GUNPOWDER AND BULLETS? The capital has fallen...
Field Marshal Tamas returns to his beloved country to find that for the first time in history, the capital city of Adro lies in the hands of a foreign invader. His son is missing, his allies are indistinguishable from his foes, and reinforcements are several weeks away.

An army divided...
With the Kez still bearing down upon them and without clear leadership, the Adran army has turned against itself. Inspector Adamat is drawn into the very heart of this new mutiny with promises of finding his kidnapped son.

All hope rests with one...
And Taniel Two-shot, hunted by men he once thought his friends, must safeguard the only chance Adro has of getting through this war without being destroyed...
THE AUTUMN REPUBLIC is the epic conclusion that began with Promise of Blood and The Crimson Campaign.

[Nightflier]

The Autumn Republic je odličan završetak trilogije, koji je čak čitavu trilogiju izvukao za celu jednu zvezdicu. Čitajući The Powder Mage, Sandersonov uticaj mi je sve vreme bio očit. Od sistema magije, koji je uizvesnoj meri mistbornovski, pa do razuđenosti glavnih uloga i političkog ustrojstva sveta, vidi se da je Maklelan sledio Sandersonovu formulu iz Mistborna. Ovo samo po sebi nije bilo loše, ali je donekle sputavalo romane, namećući čitaocu izvesna očekivanja. Međutim, Maklelan je bolji pisac od Sandersona, naročito u pogledu karakterizacije - ali i u postavljanju mizanscena, odnosno worldbuildingu, koji je možda manje maštovit nego Sandersonov, ali bolje razrađen i manje naivan.

Nažalost, pravac zacrtan u prvom romanu uslovio je mali pad kakvoće radnje i pisanja u drugom, ali to je prilično nadoknađeno u završnici trilogije - doduše, uz donekle deus ex machina kraj, koji se u najvećem delu mogao naslutiti, upravo zbog Sandersonolike postavke sveta.

Sva tri romana posmatrana u celosti čine jednu utegnutu priču, dobro promišljenu i pripovedanu, sa višedimenzionalnim likovima koji se tokom trilogije razvijaju i poprimaju čak i neočekivane aspekte. Trilogija je završena tako da nema sumnje da je priči došao kraj, ali je pisac ipak ostavio prostora da se pozabavi svojim protagonistima u nekom drugom trenutku, ako ga nadahnuće ponese. To rekavši, mislim da bi Maklelanu bilo pametnije da se baci na neki drugi svet, sada kada se etablirao kao ozbiljan pisac i da pokuša da izađe iz senke svog učitelja.

The Autumn Republic 5/5