Kevin and shadowflame1974.The winner for the full trilogy is:
booksandboston!Congratulations to everyone! You should get an email from me shortly for your addresses.
Leave a comment or email me at arconna[at]yahoo[dot]com tell me one thing you like about fantasy novels.Your response need not be long (though more discussion is always welcome). Winners will be chosen at random at 12 PM EST on Dec. 9th, 2011 (that way the publisher can hopefully get the book to you before the end of the month).
When allies become enemies, to whom can a clever thief turn?
Armed with one of seven Ancient Blades, Malden was chosen by Fate to act as savior . . . and failed dismally. And now there is no stopping the barbarian hordes from invading and pillaging the kingdom of Skrae. Suddenly friends and former supporters alike covet the young hero’s magic while seeking his destruction—from the treacherous King and leaders of the City of Ness to the rogue knight Croy, who owes Malden his life.
It will take more than Malden’s makeshift army of harlots and cutpurses to preserve a realm. Luckily the sorceress Cythera fights at his side, along with the ingenious, irascible dwarf Slag. And the wily thief still has a desperate and daring plan or two up his larcenous sleeve . . .The first two books in the series are in mass market paperback (available just about anywhere). If you don't have the first two, you should get them for the holidays and enter anyway!
With this inaugural volume at Tor, the annual Nebula Award collection is reborn as a fiction-only anthology. This collection of nominees for 2010’s Nebula Awards includes all of the prior year’s most celebrated stories, and will be published in time for the 2011 Nebula Awards in May, 2011.
2009’s award winners, announced in May 2010, include Kage Baker’s novella “The Women of Nell Gwynne’s,” Eugie Foster’s novelette “Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast,” Kij Johnson’s short story “Spar,” plus Paolo Bacigalupi’s novelette, “The Gambler.”
Alex Bledsoe’s novels featuring detective Eddie LaCrosse have drawn rave reviews for their ingenious blend of classic fantasy and hard-boiled detective fiction. Now with Dark Jenny, Bledsoe returns with an all-new tale of intrigue and murder. . . .I reviewed the book here.
For twenty-five gold pieces a day, plus expenses, Eddie LaCrosse will take on most any case. But the unexpected delivery of a coffin in the dead of winter forces LaCrosse to look back at a bygone chapter in his past—and the premeditated murder of a dream.
Ruled by the noble King Marcus Drake, the island kingdom of Grand Braun is an oasis of peace and justice in an imperfect world. At least until the beautiful Queen Jennifer is accused of adultery and murder. In the wrong castle at the wrong time, Eddie finds himself drafted at sword’s point to solve the mystery. With time running out, and powerful nobles all too eager to pin the murder on Eddie himself, he must untangle a tangled web of palace intrigues, buried secrets, and bewitching women—before the entire kingdom erupts into civil war.
Murder, mystery, and magic—just another day on the job for Eddie LaCrosse.
Loopdilou
redhead
Unrepentant book thief John Charles Gilkey has stolen a fortune in rare books from around the country. Yet unlike most thieves who steal for profit, Gilkey steals for love--the love of books. Perhaps equally obsessive is Ken Sanders, the self-appointed "bibliodick" who's driven to catch him. Following this eccentric cat-and-mouse chase with a mixture of suspense, insight and humor, Allison Hoover Bartlett plunges the reader deep into a rich world of fanatical book lust and considers what it is that makes some people stop at nothing to posses the titles they love.Yes, the book is awesome, fascinating, and a bit of good fun. Details for how to win are below:
Dave Baxter and Teresa!The winner for the scariest or creepiest story is Tina, who said the following:
The first time I went to India (in 1999), I went to Varanasi (aka Benaras) which is THE holiest of holy cities in India. It's where the living and the dead collide. It is perhaps one of the most crowded cities in all of India, yet the river is littered with dead things (dead cows, dead fish) and, because mendicants (holy men who have forsaken all worldly possessions) travel to Varanasi to die (you gain a certain amount of karma for dying in such a holy place) it is not uncommon to see vultures picking at decaying human carcasses.I'm not sure what is most terrifying about this story. Maybe it's the end with the babies or just the general feel. I have no clue if it is real, but if it is, then that's a place I don't intend to ever visit. Sounds like something out of a really terrifying horror movie.
True story--I saw it all.
Varanasi is perhaps most famous in the western world for its ghats--you've probably seen those pictures in National Geographic of way too many people crowded together on steps that go down into the water.THAT'S Varanasi). One of the most famous ghats are The Burning Ghats--the place where Hindu's cremate their dead. I was young, stupid, and totally out of line... I went as a sort of touristing expediton to the Burning Ghats.
The Burning Ghats are lifeless. Literally. Dead bodies wrapped in white sheets rest atop pyres of dull brown logs. The men of the family--sons, cousins, nephews, sometimes fathers--huddle around the bodies. Also dressed in white, they look like wraiths waiting to welcome a new soul to their ghoulish brotherhood. The ghat is devoid of color--no flags, no colorful saries, no saffron robes for the sadhus. Only the brown, gray and white of death.
Until they light the pyre and hot yellow, red, and sometimes blue flames lick up the side of the wood, devour the body.
It smells like BBQ. But that's not the worse part.
Down towards the water, a man piles something into a boat. At first, it appears as though he's stacking bundles of wood tied together by white cloth. It makes sense, but it doesn't. If it were wood, he should be unloading it at the Burning Ghat for use in the pyres, not loading it from the Ghat into his boat. I squint and peer through the smoke that fills the air. I move down the steps, closer to the water.
Babies. He's stacking babies swaddled in the same white cloth as the burning corpses above.
He rows out into the water. Solemnly, the boy that is with him lifts each white bundle, ties a weight around it and drops it into the water with a small, hollow plop.
Babies can't be burned. They have no soul.
About the Book:The City trilogy is a noirish, gritty urban fantasy for adults from the bestselling author otherwise known as Darren Shan. Quick-witted and cocksure, young upstart Capac Raimi arrives in the City determined to make his mark. As he learns the tricks of his new trade from his Uncle Theo -- extortion, racketeering, threatening behaviour -- he’s soon well on his way to becoming a promising new gangster. Then he crosses paths with The Cardinal, and his life changes forever. The Cardinal is the City and the City is The Cardinal. They are joined at the soul. Nothing moves on the streets, or below them, without the Cardinal’s knowledge. His rule is absolute. As Capac begins to discover more about the extent of the Cardinal’s influence on his own life he is faced with hard choices. And as his ambition soars ever higher he will learn all there is to know about loss, and the true cost of ultimate power!Here's the author talking about the U.S. release:
About Darren Shan:
Ever since she was child, Jem has kept a secret: Whenever she meets someone new, no matter who, as soon as she looks into their eyes, a number pops into her head. That number is a date: the date they will die. Burdened with such awful awareness, Jem avoids relationships. Until she meets Spider, another outsider, and takes a chance. The two plan a trip to the city. But while waiting to ride the Eye ferris wheel, Jem is terrified to see that all the other tourists in line flash the same number. Today's number. Today's date. Terrorists are going to attack London . Jem’s world is about to explode!If you'd like to learn more about the book and the author (and read the first chapter), check out its Scholastic webpage.
How to enter:
Prize #2 (Novels)
Prize #3 (Novels)
Prize #4 (Novels from SQT)
