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What's inside...
1. This week we are presenting winners of the Goodreads 2013 Choice
Awards. These books were voted the best fantasy books of 2013 by people
like you, and us, readers! [Please note that many of the books from
our 1st Best of 2013 newsletter also made this list, but we are not
duplicating entries.]
2. We've found a cool free read you won't want to miss and some great 99 cent deals.
3. Plus the scoop on fantasy movies and other genre news.
4. Last but not least, look for our Urban Fantasy promotion in February.
We're coordinating with several authors to host a special 99
cents sale. Be sure to keep an eye out for that, we'll be giving away
free books to subscribers and there's a giveaway with some nice, fat
gift cards.
Note that while prices are accurate at the time we generate the
newsletter, they are not guaranteed and can change without warning.
Double check the price before you buy!
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With what should have been the greatest heist of their career gone
spectacularly sour, Locke and his trusted partner, Jean, have barely
escaped with their lives. Or at least Jean has. But Locke is slowly
succumbing to a deadly poison that no alchemist or physiker can cure.
Yet just as the end is near, a mysterious Bondsmage offers Locke an
opportunity that will either save him or finish him off once and for
all.
The Ghost Bride
by Lisa Grace
6969 Goodreads votes
average Amazon rating is 4.3 (173 ratings)
 
Li Lan, the daughter of a genteel but bankrupt family, has few
prospects. But fate intervenes when she receives an unusual proposal
from the wealthy and powerful Lim family. They want her to become a
ghost bride for the family's only son, who recently died under
mysterious circumstances. Rarely practiced, a traditional ghost marriage
is used to placate a restless spirit. Such a union would guarantee Li
Lan a home for the rest of her days, but at a terrible price.
After an ominous visit to the opulent Lim mansion, Li Lan finds herself
haunted not only by her ghostly would-be suitor, but also by her desire
for the Lim's handsome new heir, Tian Bai. Night after night, she is
drawn into the shadowy parallel world of the Chinese afterlife, with its
ghost cities, paper funeral offerings, vengeful spirits and monstrous
bureaucracy--including the mysterious Er Lang, a charming but
unpredictable guardian spirit. Li Lan must uncover the Lim family's
darkest secrets--and the truth about her own family--before she is
trapped in this ghostly world forever.
The Firebird
by Susanna Kearsley
6381 Goodreads votes
average Amazon rating is 4.6 (338 ratings)
Nicola Marter was born with a gift so rare and dangerous, she kept it
buried deep. When she encounters a desperate woman trying to sell a
small wooden carving called "The Firebird," claiming it belonged to
Russia's Empress Catherine, it's a problem. There's no proof. But
Nicola's held the object. She knows the woman is telling the truth.
Blood of Dragons
(Rain Wilds Chronicles Book 4)
by Robin Hobb
5016 Goodreads votes
average Amazon rating is 4.4 (383 ratings)
The final volume in Robin Hobb's popular Rain Wilds fantasy
series, Blood of Dragons completes the story of the dragons, their
keepers, and their quest to find the lost city of Kelsingra—and the
mythical silver wells that the dragons need to survive. Can Tintaglia
and the Elderlings unlock the secrets of the ancient city? Or are they
doomed to extinction?
The River of No Return
by Bee Ridgway
4947 Goodreads votes
average Amazon rating is 4.2 (136 ratings)
“You are now a member of the Guild. There is no return.” Two hundred
years after he was about to die on a Napoleonic battlefield, Nick
Falcott, soldier and aristocrat, wakes up in a hospital bed in modern
London. The Guild, an entity that controls time travel, showers him with
life's advantages. But Nick yearns for home and for one brown-eyed
girl, lost now down the centuries. Then the Guild asks him to break its
own rule. It needs Nick to go back to 1815 to fight the Guild’s enemies
and to find something called the Talisman.
In 1815, Julia Percy mourns the death of her beloved grandfather, an
earl who could play with time. On his deathbed he whispers in her ear:
“Pretend!” Pretend what? When Nick returns home as if from the dead,
older than he should be and battle scarred, Julia begins to suspect that
her very life depends upon the secrets Grandfather never told her. Soon
enough Julia and Nick are caught up in an adventure that stretches up
and down the river of time. As their knowledge of the Guild and their
feelings for each other grow, the fate of the future itself is hanging
in the balance.
Forged in Blood I
(The Emperor's Edge Book 6)
by Lindsay Buroker
4151 Goodreads votes
average Amazon rating is 4.8 (99 ratings)
The emperor has been ousted from the throne, his bloodline in question,
and war is descending on the capital. Forge, the nefarious business
coalition that has been manipulating the political situation from the
beginning, has the ultimate weapon at its disposal.
If it was difficult for a small team of outlaws--or, as Amaranthe has
decided they should now be called, rebels--to make a difference before,
it's a monumental task now. If she's to return idealistic young Sespian
to the throne, earn the exoneration she's sought for so long, and help
her closest ally win the respect of the son who detests him, she'll have
to employ an unprecedented new scheme... preferably without destroying
the city--or herself--in the process.
This latest installment in New York Times best-selling author R.A.
Salvatore's beloved fantasy saga, The Companions moves Salvatore's
signature hero Drizzt into a new era of the Forgotten Realms. As
Drizzt's fate hangs in the balance, he reflects on the lives of the
trusted allies who stood by his side throughout his early life--the
friends now known as the Companions of the Hall. Meanwhile, the first
stirrings of the Sundering begin.
Vicious
by V. E. Schwab
2059 Goodreads votes
average Amazon rating is 4.5 (50 ratings)
Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant,
lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each
other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline,
near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an
intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could
develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the
academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.
Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to
his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature
obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate
every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his
sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with
terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss,
the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left
alive at the end?
The Daylight War (The Demon Cycle Book 3)
by Peter V. Brett
2016 Goodreads votes
average Amazon rating is 4 (478 ratings)
On the night of the new moon, the demons rise in force, seeking the
deaths of two men, both of whom have the potential to become the fabled
Deliverer, the man prophesied to reunite the scattered remnants of
humanity in a final push to destroy the demon corelings once and for
all.
Once Arlen and Jardir were as close as brothers. Now they are the
bitterest of rivals. As humanity’s enemies rise, the only two men
capable of defeating them are divided against each other by the most
deadly demons of all—those lurking in the human heart.
The Crown Tower (The Riyria Chronicles Book 1)
by Michael J. Sullivan
1952 Goodreads votes
average Amazon rating is 4.7 (174 ratings)
Two men who hate each other. One impossible mission. A legend in the
making. Hadrian Blackwater, a warrior with nothing to fight for is
paired with Royce Melborn, 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 prized possessions. But it isn't gold or
jewels that the old wizard is after, and if he can keep them from
killing each other they become a legendary team.
The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic
by Emily Croy Barker
832 Goodreads votes
average Amazon rating is 3.9 (136 ratings)
Nora Fischer’s dissertation is stalled and her boyfriend is about to
marry another woman. During a miserable weekend at a friend’s wedding,
Nora wanders off and walks through a portal into a different world where
she’s transformed from a drab grad student into a stunning beauty.
Before long, she has a set of glamorous new friends and her romance with
gorgeous, masterful Raclin is heating up. It’s almost too good to be
true.
Then the elegant veneer shatters. Nora’s new fantasy world turns darker,
a fairy tale gone incredibly wrong. Making it here will take skills
Nora never learned in graduate school. Her only real ally—and a
reluctant one at that—is the magician Aruendiel, a grim, reclusive
figure with a biting tongue and a shrouded past. And it will take her
becoming Aruendiel’s student—and learning magic herself—to survive. When
a passage home finally opens, Nora must weigh her “real life” against
the dangerous power of love and magic.
A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent
by Marie Brennan
697 Goodreads votes
average Amazon rating is 4.2 (58 ratings)
All the world, from Scirland to the farthest reaches of Eriga, know
Isabella, Lady Trent, to be the world’s preeminent dragon naturalist.
She is the remarkable woman who brought the study of dragons out of the
misty shadows of myth and misunderstanding into the clear light of
modern science. But before she became the illustrious figure we know
today, there was a bookish young woman whose passion for learning,
natural history, and, yes, dragons defied the stifling conventions of
her day.
Here at last, in her own words, is the true story of a pioneering spirit
who risked her reputation, her prospects, and her fragile flesh and
bone to satisfy her scientific curiosity; of how she sought true love
and happiness despite her lamentable eccentricities; and of her
thrilling expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana, where she
made the first of many historic discoveries that would change the world
forever.
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7 NOVELS FOR 99 CENTS!
Magic, Myth & Majesty
WEIGHT OF BLOOD (The Half-Orcs) - David Dalglish
The struggles of two half-orc brothers will soon bathe the land of Dezrel in demon fire.
A LEGACY OF LIGHT (The Dragon War) - Daniel Arenson
A rebel band of dragon folk from the kingdom of Requiem face down the dark empire that's crushing them.
DEFENDER (The Sanctuary) - Robert J. Crane
Someone is stealing weapons of unlimited power, and only Sanctuary stands between the world of Arkaria and total destruction.
SWORD OF THE ARCHON (Shader) - D.P. Prior
The deadliest warrior of his generation, Deacon Shader must win Archon's
Sword to battle a powerful, ancient enemy that threatens Creation.
THE DARK CITADEL (The Dark Citadel) - Michael Wallace
A slave boy and a young queen lead alliances of spies, servants and
merchants to stave off the encroaching armies of a dark wizard.
THE WHITE TREE (The Cycle of Arawn) - Edward W. Robertson
The followers of the death god Arawn march from the shadows, and a young
student of magic must assassinate the leader or see his homeland fall.
RAVENWOOD (Tanyth Fairport Adventures) - Nathan Lowell
When shamanistic healer Tanyth Fairport stops by to help a small
village, she discovers you're never too old to make a bad decision.
FREE READ!
Branded (Book 1 of Fall of Angels)
by Keary Taylor
average Amazon rating is 4.1 (790 ratings)
Jessica’s had the nightmares for as long as
she can remember. Nightmares of being judged for people who have died,
of being branded by the angels. Her friends and family think she’s a
crazy because of it all. Yet she carries the mark of the condemned,
seared into the back of her neck, and hides it and herself away from the
world.
But when two men she can’t ignore enter her life everything changes,
including the nightmares. The two of them couldn’t be more different.
She will do anything to be with one of them. Even tell him the truth
about angels, why she never sleeps, and the scar on the back of her
neck. But one of the two has set events into motion what will pull her
toward her own judgment and turn her into the object of her greatest
fear.
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Series Suggestions
Need a need new series to dive into?
The Marnie Baranuik Files
by A.J. Aalto
The media has a nickname for Marnie Baranuik, though she’d rather they
didn’t; they call her the Great White Shark, a rare dual-talented
forensic psychic. Twice-Touched by the Blue Sense--which gives her the
ability to feel the emotions of others, and read impressions left behind
on objects--Marnie also has a doctorate in preternatural biology and a
working knowledge of the dark arts. She is considered without peer in
the psychic community.
Then her first big FBI case ended with a bullet in one shoulder and a
chip on the other, a queasy heart and a serial killer in the wind,
leaving her a public flop and a private wreck. When the FBI’s
preternatural crimes unit tracks her down at a remote mountain lodge for
her insight on a local case, her quiet retirement is promptly besieged
by a stab-happy starlet, a rampaging ghoul, and a vampire-hunting
jackass in tight Wranglers. Marnie figures the only real mystery is
which one will kill her first.
- Touched
- Death Rejoices
- Cold Company
- Dirt Nap
The Forged Bloodlines Series
by Lisa Olsen
Anja Evans wakes up in the morgue with a hell of a hangover. It takes
almost eating her best friend before she figures out... she's a vampire.
When a dark and dangerous vampire shows up at her door asking to see
her license and registration, Anja assumes Bishop is a regular cop. But
breeding among vampires is strictly controlled, and her unlicensed
status makes her an enemy of The Order. Struggling to find a balance
between her former life and her undead one, Anja tries to blend school
and living up to her new identity, all while searching to find the
elusive Viking, whose blood gave Anja the strength of a vampire hundreds
of years old.
- Wake Me When the Sun Goes Down
- Meet Me When the Sun Goes Down
- Find Me When the Sun Goes Down
- Miss Me When the Sun Goes Down
- Follow Me When the Sun Goes Down
- Hear Me When the Sun Goes Down
The Mageri Series Series
by Dannika Dark
Zoƫ Merrick lived an ordinary life until the night she was brutally
attacked. She narrowly escapes death, rescued by Adam Razor, an
ex-soldier who offers her friendship and a place to stay. But something
else is different. Zoƫ is unable to control an unexplainable energy
coursing through her body.
Justus De Gradi is a man who can teach her that control. She meets him
by chance - a man who's handsome, arrogant, and not entirely human. He
reveals that she's a Mage - an immortal made of light, not magic. Zoƫ
must now make a choice: Rebuild her life in the human world with the man
who saved her, or live with Justus and learn how to use her
extraordinary gifts. Justus has sworn an oath to protect her life, but
can he guard her from the one man who has a right to claim it? Zoƫ
learns the price of freedom...and the value of loyalty..
- Sterling
- Twist
- Impulse
- Gravity
- Shine
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Special Fantasy On-line Event!
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Fantasy News
Fantasy in Film
I, Frankenstein Review: I, Frankenstein is Actually Just a Live Action Version of Disney’s Gargoyles
Actress Angela Lansbury is set to be named a Dame in the New Year’s
Honors bestowed by Queen Elizabeth. Lansbury has a wide body of stage
and film work, including roles in Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Court
Jester, Beauty and the Beast, The Last Unicorn, and a revival of the
play Blithe Spirit. For the first time in history, more than half of the
honorees are women. (http://www.sfsite.com/)
Fantasy in Print
Nora Crook, a professor emerita at
Anglia Ruskin University, has discovered a trove of 13 previously
unknown letter written by Mary Shelley between 1831 and 1849. During
that time, Shelley, who wrote Frankenstein in 1818, was suffering from a
brain tumor near the end of that period, which is demonstrated by the
change in her handwriting and the concerns voiced in the letters. The
letters were written to Horace and Eliza Smith, who had been friends
with Shelley’s husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley, prior to his death. More
details here. (http://www.sfsite.com/)
Ursula K. Le Guin was awarded the 2013 Arthur C. Clarke Award for Impact
of Imagination on Society, presented by Clarion Writers’ Workshop
director Shelley Streeby, on October 22, 2013 in Washington, DC. More
details here. (http://www.locusmag.com/)
The winner of the 2014 Crawford Memorial Award, presented annually by
the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts for an
outstanding first fantasy book, is Sofia Samatar’s A Stranger in
Olondria (Small Beer Press). According to award administrator Gary K.
Wolfe, the novel won broad support from the nominating committee. The
other books included on this year’s Crawford shortlist are Yoon Ha Lee’s
story collection Conservation of Shadows (Prime Books), Helene Wecker’s
novel The Golem and the Jinni (Harper), and N.A. Sulway’s
novel Rupetta (Tartarus Press). ( http://www.locusmag.com/)
Fantasy On-line
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