dwndrgn
Fierce Vowelless One
Here are the nominations and their descriptions:
Nominated by me (dwndrgn):
States of Grace by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
While this is technically the latest in a series, I've found that all of the St. Germain novels stand alone quite well so there's no worries for anyone who has not read any of them before. I like these because this author has a wonderful way with words, her lyrical prose and insightful musings make you feel as if you've travelled that road with St. Germain. Here is what the Library Journal says:
"Yarbro's latest installment featuring her compassionate and sophisticated vampire hero offers a rich, detailed look at a complex time in Europe's history. With its appeal to both series followers and fans of period fantasy, this belongs in most major dark fantasy collections."
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Nominated by rune:
Here goes - I want to nominate Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie by Holly Black
It was released in the UK and US June 2005 - HB.
I found this book description at the Fantastic Fiction Website.
When seventeen-year-old Valerie Russell runs away to New York City, she's trying to escape a life that has utterly betrayed her. Sporting a new identity, she takes up with a gang of squatters who live in the city's labyrinthine subway system.
But there's something eerily beguiling about Val's new friends. Impulsive Lolli talks of monsters in the subway tunnels they call home and shoots up a shimmery amber-colored powder that makes the shadows around her dance. Severe Luis claims he can make deals with creatures that no one else can see. And then there's Luis's brother, timid and sensitive Dave, who makes the mistake of letting Val tag along as he makes a delivery to a woman who turns out to have goat hooves instead of feet.
When a bewildered Val allows Lolli to talk her into tracking down the hidden lair of the creature for whom Luis and Dave have been dealing, Val finds herself bound into service by a troll named Ravus. He is as hideous as he is honorable. And as Val grows to know him, she finds herself torn between her affection for an honorable monster and her fear of what her new friends are becoming.
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Nominated by Kelpie:
Melusine by Sarah Monette. A new book (Aug 2005) by an apparently new author.
It sounds quirky (one hopes in a good way) and very original. Reviewers at Publishers Weekly and Booklist both waxed enthusiastic over the story and the characters, so I'm intrigued.
This is part of what Publishers Weekly had to say:
Set in the wondrous city of Mélusine, Monette's novel focuses on two captivating characters from two very different worlds: Felix Harrowgate, a powerful magician at the court of Lord Steven Teverius, and Mildmay the Fox, a cat burglar who has been trained as an assassin. When Felix falls prey to the unscrupulous machinations of a man who's plotting to destroy Mélusine, he's left nearly mad, unable to clear his name or explain his actions. Mildmay, on the other hand, undertakes a simple burglary, thinking it will lead to a bit of extra flash that will keep him going for more than a few days. Instead, the burglary opens the way to a series of unfortunate events that force Felix and Mildmay into a partnership neither of them could have anticipated or desired.
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Nominated by finvarre:
I'd like to nominate The Year of Our War by Steph Swainston. I have to admit that I've already read this novel, dwndrgn (sorry. I know you wanted us to nominate books we didn't read, but this one is new), and liked it so much that I bought and read its sequel in hardcover, No Present Like Time. Here is a short review from Publishers Weekly:
In British author Swainston's first novel, a well-written, if occasionally uneven, fantasy, three humanoid species coexist successfully in a medieval world under the rule of a benevolent, immortal emperor, supported by a circle of 50 immortal warriors. For many centuries, however, this civilization has been under attack by Insects, monstrous creatures who convert everything they conquer into the Paperlands, endless wastelands of bizarre white walls and tunnels. Now one of the immortals, Jant the Messenger, addicted to the hallucinatory drug called cat, which allows him access to an alternate universe, has discovered the Insects' secret. Despite his debilitating addiction, Jant must find a way to preserve his world against the monsters' increasing onslaught. Numerous bloody battles keep the action moving, and Swainston has a powerful sense of the surreal, but her domestic scenes tend to drag and verge on soap opera. Jant is an engaging antihero, though most of the other characters are fairly flat. This off-beat fantasy should appeal to fans of China Miéville's fiction as well as to those who remember Roger Zelazny's Amber series with fondness.
I can add that it's a witty novel, personally I liked it better than books by Mieville. Certainly the plot and characters are original (for instance, the main hero, Jant Shira, is the only person in the world that can fly) and the novel is well-written.
Nominated by me (dwndrgn):
States of Grace by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
While this is technically the latest in a series, I've found that all of the St. Germain novels stand alone quite well so there's no worries for anyone who has not read any of them before. I like these because this author has a wonderful way with words, her lyrical prose and insightful musings make you feel as if you've travelled that road with St. Germain. Here is what the Library Journal says:
"Yarbro's latest installment featuring her compassionate and sophisticated vampire hero offers a rich, detailed look at a complex time in Europe's history. With its appeal to both series followers and fans of period fantasy, this belongs in most major dark fantasy collections."
______________________________________________________________________
Nominated by rune:
Here goes - I want to nominate Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie by Holly Black
It was released in the UK and US June 2005 - HB.
I found this book description at the Fantastic Fiction Website.
When seventeen-year-old Valerie Russell runs away to New York City, she's trying to escape a life that has utterly betrayed her. Sporting a new identity, she takes up with a gang of squatters who live in the city's labyrinthine subway system.
But there's something eerily beguiling about Val's new friends. Impulsive Lolli talks of monsters in the subway tunnels they call home and shoots up a shimmery amber-colored powder that makes the shadows around her dance. Severe Luis claims he can make deals with creatures that no one else can see. And then there's Luis's brother, timid and sensitive Dave, who makes the mistake of letting Val tag along as he makes a delivery to a woman who turns out to have goat hooves instead of feet.
When a bewildered Val allows Lolli to talk her into tracking down the hidden lair of the creature for whom Luis and Dave have been dealing, Val finds herself bound into service by a troll named Ravus. He is as hideous as he is honorable. And as Val grows to know him, she finds herself torn between her affection for an honorable monster and her fear of what her new friends are becoming.
______________________________________________________________
Nominated by Kelpie:
Melusine by Sarah Monette. A new book (Aug 2005) by an apparently new author.
It sounds quirky (one hopes in a good way) and very original. Reviewers at Publishers Weekly and Booklist both waxed enthusiastic over the story and the characters, so I'm intrigued.
This is part of what Publishers Weekly had to say:
Set in the wondrous city of Mélusine, Monette's novel focuses on two captivating characters from two very different worlds: Felix Harrowgate, a powerful magician at the court of Lord Steven Teverius, and Mildmay the Fox, a cat burglar who has been trained as an assassin. When Felix falls prey to the unscrupulous machinations of a man who's plotting to destroy Mélusine, he's left nearly mad, unable to clear his name or explain his actions. Mildmay, on the other hand, undertakes a simple burglary, thinking it will lead to a bit of extra flash that will keep him going for more than a few days. Instead, the burglary opens the way to a series of unfortunate events that force Felix and Mildmay into a partnership neither of them could have anticipated or desired.
____________________________________________________________
Nominated by finvarre:
I'd like to nominate The Year of Our War by Steph Swainston. I have to admit that I've already read this novel, dwndrgn (sorry. I know you wanted us to nominate books we didn't read, but this one is new), and liked it so much that I bought and read its sequel in hardcover, No Present Like Time. Here is a short review from Publishers Weekly:
In British author Swainston's first novel, a well-written, if occasionally uneven, fantasy, three humanoid species coexist successfully in a medieval world under the rule of a benevolent, immortal emperor, supported by a circle of 50 immortal warriors. For many centuries, however, this civilization has been under attack by Insects, monstrous creatures who convert everything they conquer into the Paperlands, endless wastelands of bizarre white walls and tunnels. Now one of the immortals, Jant the Messenger, addicted to the hallucinatory drug called cat, which allows him access to an alternate universe, has discovered the Insects' secret. Despite his debilitating addiction, Jant must find a way to preserve his world against the monsters' increasing onslaught. Numerous bloody battles keep the action moving, and Swainston has a powerful sense of the surreal, but her domestic scenes tend to drag and verge on soap opera. Jant is an engaging antihero, though most of the other characters are fairly flat. This off-beat fantasy should appeal to fans of China Miéville's fiction as well as to those who remember Roger Zelazny's Amber series with fondness.
I can add that it's a witty novel, personally I liked it better than books by Mieville. Certainly the plot and characters are original (for instance, the main hero, Jant Shira, is the only person in the world that can fly) and the novel is well-written.
