DAW Books' New Releases for July!

Swing on over to the DAW Books blog (dawbooks) and check out the new releases for July, including new Tracy Hickman, new Diana Rowland, an omnibus edition of Jim C Hines' Goblin series, and the paperback release of Tracy Hickman's previous novel!

LEAVES OF FLAME Book Review!!!

Holy crap, another great review of my book Leaves of Flame (sequel to Well of Sorrows) from Mike Douton! Here's the link to the whole review in case you want to check out his blog as well, but let's see . . . a highlight of the review would be:

"So go read the first book and then have at it with this one. This is an author to support so we can keep getting books like this for years to come. Hell, this is an author I wish was a Rhode Islander so I could talk shop over Wrath Suvane maps."

And another highlight:

"Leaves has more of the political wrangling (seriously, not exactly easy to make that interesting), backstabbing and conniving that the first book. The intrigue among the Alvritshai in particular take it to this to a cold war level I enjoyed the hell out of."

And what the hell, why not another hightlight:

"A lot of the “I want to know more about this” from Wells is expanded upon here to the greatest satisfaction. So this top tier world building went and build another, taller tier and set up camp there."

So thanks, Mike! I'm glad you enjoyed the book so much. Gives me some motivation to get cracking on the third book!

Signal Boost: "Thieftaker" by D.B. Jackson

Hey, all, just thought I'd bring your attention to a new book hitting the shelves today called Thieftaker, the first novel by D.B. Jackson (aka David B. Coe). I've worked with David before (he's in the anthology After Hours: Tales from the Ur-bar) and I've read some of his books, so I can certainly recommend that everyone check him out. I haven't read his new book, but my copy is on its way right now. *grin*

From what I've heard, this is an excellent book that combines historical facts with an intriguing fantasy, mixing the two perfectly. So let's see, what can I link you to that might make you rush to the bookstore (online or the brick-and-mortar kind) in order to get Thieftaker . . .

Here's a description of the book:

Boston, Province of Massachusetts Bay, August 26, 1765

A warm evening in colonial North America's leading city. Smoke drifts across the city, and with it the sound of voices raised in anger, of shattering glass and splintering wood. A mob is rioting in the streets, enraged by the newest outrage from Parliament: a Stamp Tax . Houses are destroyed, royal officials are burned in effigy. And on a deserted lane, a young girl is murdered.

Ethan Kaille, a thieftaker of some notoriety, and a conjurer of some skill, is hired by the girl's father to find her killer. Soon he is swept up in a storm of intrigue and magic, politics and treachery. The murder has drawn the notice of the lovely and deadly Sephira Pryce, a rival thieftaker in Boston; of powerful men in the royal government; of leaders of the American rebels, including Samuel Adams; and of a mysterious sorcerer who wields magic the likes of which Ethan has never encountered before.

To learn the truth of what happened that fateful night, Ethan must recover a stolen gem and sound the depths of conjurings he barely understands, all while evading Sephira and her henchmen, holding the royals and rebels at bay, and defending himself and those he loves from the shadowy conjurer.

No problem. Provided he doesn't get himself killed in the process.

Thieftaker is the first volume in the Thieftaker Chronicles, the new historical fantasy from D.B. Jackson. Combining elements of traditional fantasy, urban fantasy, mystery and historical fiction, Thieftaker is sure to appeal to readers who enjoy intelligent fantasy and history with an attitude.

If you go here, you can download some sample chapters, as well as read the story he wrote for the Ur-bar anthology I edited.