The Demon King still lives, stronger than ever, devouring souls in search of immortality. Against him stands the scholar Taron, a newly-minted warrior of Lemuria, and Willow, a woman of unearthly loveliness, born of mist…Taron must pass through the waterfall of molten gold that shields the secret portal to his beloved land. His brilliant mind and the speaking sword called CrystalFire are his weapons against evil. But nothing can protect him from the power of love. Willow, whom he once knew as a sprite who could dance in his hand, has been changed by a master stroke of magic into the form of a beautiful, highly sensual woman, desiring a thousand pleasures that she insists he alone can give her. Innocent and eager, Willow arouses his deepest needs and sexual hunger – and his love. He will risk all to save her, even if it means a battle to the death with the ultimate foe…

Looking thru as I do I found a list of free chapters going as tasters. I haven't reproduced them in full here as I haven't the room. Full credits are show below. Sara A Hoyt is well worth watching. The same goes for Baen Books. Follw the more reading for er… more reading

Darkship Renegades
Sarah A Hoyt
Baen – December 2012

Out of the Frying Pan

I was a princess from Earth and he was a rogue spaceman from a mythical world. He saved my life three times. I rescued him from a fate worse than death. We fell madly in love.

We married and lived happily ever after.

Ever after comes with an expiration date these days. We’d been married less than year when Kit got shot in the head.

It started with our return from Earth. No. Wait, what it really started with was my meeting Kit, in the powertrees which are biological solar collectors in Earth orbit. They were put up way back when bio-engineered rulers governed the Earth. And ever since the turmoils sent the bio-engineered rulers – you probably know them as Mules so called because, of course, they couldn’t reproduce – fleeing the Earth in a ship called Je Reviens, the powertrees have been haunted by legends of darkship thieves.

Which is all anyone ever thought the darkship thieves were. After all, even if the mules really had left in an interstellar ship, and of course, there are doubts that the ship ever existed, why would they come back to harvest powerpods from the powertrees – the biological solar energy collectors in Earth orbit?  And why would no one else see them but powerpod collectors?

I found out the legend was less legendary than advertised when a mutiny aboard Daddy Dearest’s space cruiser sent me fleeing in a lifeboat into the powertrees. Where I met Kit who rescued me and took me to his homeworld, Eden.

#     #     #     #

ConSensual
Kate Paul
Naked Reader Press – June 2012

1. Consensual Encounters

Nothing says you’ve left normal reality like walking into a hotel lobby and seeing a Clone Trooper chatting with a Sith Lord. The sign on the back of the Clone Trooper’s armor, ‘Come to the Dark Side. We have cookies. Tonight. Room 1226′, was really just corroborating evidence.

The lure of Dark Side cookies notwithstanding, I took myself to the reception desk and got myself signed in. I’ll give them this: the staff didn’t seem at all upset by the strangeness manifesting in their hotel. Maybe it’s a southern USA thing, but none of the southern con hotels I’ve been in have ever been anything less than welcoming.

Well, unless the convention was sharing space with one of the more fundamentalist religious conventions.

ConSensual being one of the bigger southern conventions, I doubted that would be an issue. It was held in one of those sprawling southern cities that takes about five times the land area of a northern city to hold the same population, and usually has so many hotels it’s not hard for any one event to make an exclusive booking.

Whatever they do with them outside the convention season isn’t my business.

I can never keep the hotels straight. This one was one of those modernist faux-elegant jobs with lots of shiny metal and glass, a multi-level gallery area where all the ballrooms and convention areas were, the inevitable bar and house of bad coffee, and the tower containing the actual rooms off to one side.

#     #     #     #

SCYTHEMAN
(Book Two of the Jakirian Series)
Chris McMahon
Naked Reader Press – June 2012

Kalyth laid his hands on the cracked battlement of Blackthorne Tower. The wind was furious up here. It numbed his face, bearing all the chill of the waning Storm Season. He blinked against it, his eyes watering.

‘Damn you, traitor.’ His voice was harsh. Raw from disuse.

He kept his gaze on the wide valley below the tower, determined to look anywhere but the stairs that led to the Temple of the Iris. His callused hands curled into fists, squeezing against the pain. Every day it was the same. He would fight the magical Compulsion that drew him to the ruined temple, and the pain would grow until he could no longer resist it. His legs and back were on fire with it, the muscles in his neck twisted with the desire to turn toward the stairs. He fixed his eyes on the overgrown graves of his wife Mari and his children on the slope below, fighting pain with pain. It would take only a single step, a single twitch and the Compulsion would have him.

At first he had been unable to resist it. The spell would take hold and he would run to the Iris like a crazed fool. After twenty-five years he could fight it for almost an hour.

His legs began to tremble. His eyes drifted away from the view. He squeezed them shut.

Would Belin make an appearance today? The man who commanded him to leave his family to die to save the Emperor’s squalling babe? Damn them all. The Empire had fallen. The Eathal were stronger than ever, and his wife and children were still cold and in the ground. If the Emperor’s boy still lived, he would change nothing now.

‘The Scion.’ He tasted bitter bile at the back of his throat.

Dog and Dragon
Dave Freer
Now available from Baen

Back to the sunset bound of Lyonesse—
A land of old upheaven from the abyss
By fire, to sink into the abyss again;
Where fragments of forgotten peoples dwelt,
And the long mountains ended in a coast
Of ever?shifting sand, and far away
The phantom circle of a moaning sea.
Idylls of the King, Tennyson

 “Who are you?” hissed the lithe, dark-eyed man with the drawn sword.

Meb blinked at him. Her transition from the green forests of Arcady to this dark, stone-flagged hall, had been instantaneous. The stone walls were hung with displays of arms and the horns of stags. Otherwise there was not much to separate it from a cave or prison, with not as much as an arrow slit in the walls—let alone a window—to be seen in the stone embrasures.

In Tasmarin from whence she had come, she had known just who she was: Scrap, apprentice to the black dragon that destroyed of the worlds. You could call her anything else, but that was who she had been. Now…

“Cat got your tongue, wench?” he said quietly. “Well, no matter, I’ll have to kill you anyway.”

He swung the sword at her in a vicious arc.

Moments ago, before she’d made the choice that swept her magically from Tasmarin, from the green forest of Arcady, she’d thought she might be better off dead rather than leaving them behind. Leaving him behind.

Now she discovered that her body didn’t want to die just yet. She threw herself backwards, not caring where she landed, as long as it was out of reach of the sword.

She screamed.

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Rye Crisp
Sarah A. Hoyt & Amanda S. Green
Naked Reader Press – Winter 2012

 Coming Down On The Night Shift

The elevator gave a lurch. Angie Woolsey’s stomach jumped into her throat. Then the doors slid painstakingly open, while she tapped to the rhythm of music only she could hear, grasped the handle of her cleaning cart, and thought, come on, come on. This was the night her husband, Beto, had off and she wanted to hurry home.

Without breaking her rhythm, she pushed her cleaning cart into the corridor beyond the elevator car and stopped. A slight frown creased her broad brow. Something wasn’t right. She could feel it.

You’re just imagining things, she chided silently. The security light mid-way down the corridor cast off a pale pool of light, even if it left eerie shadows in its wake. Everything was fine. Besides, she reminded herself, no one else was there. They never were. That was one of the reasons she liked working the night shift. No one was around to bother her.

More importantly, this was a good job, one of the better ones when you have to clean up after other people. Maybe the accountants who worked here kept things cleaner than most others because they always had clients coming in. Maybe they were those all too rare men who actually cleaned up after themselves without being told. She didn’t care. Whatever the reason, it made her job easier and that was all that really mattered.

As she pushed the cart down the corridor, its wheels squeaking faintly in protest as they rolled over the deep pile carpet, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. 

You can pre-order Darkship Renegades by Sarah A. Hoyt through Amazon and other retailers.

Dog and Dragon by Dave Freer can be ordered through Amazon and other booksellers or the e-book can be ordered through Baen.

ConVent (book one in the Vampire Con series) and ConFur (a short story in the Vampire Con Series) by Kate Paulk are available for purchase through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Naked Reader Press.

The Calvanni (book one in the Jakirian Series) and Flight of the Phoenix (a prequel) by Chris McMahon are available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Naked Reader Press.

Nocturnal Origins,

Nocturnal Serenade

and Nocturnal Haunts by Amanda S. Green are available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Naked Reader Press.

…More at Pushing Books

Something borrowed something blue… I think we've had the blue so here is a short borrowed. Follow the links for more info on the shorts described below. Review Authors info in the Bio

So, on to the stories…

Summary of Story #1: No Earthly Ship -

This is a simple sci-fi adventure/romance. The action apparently takes place on an alien planet where blood is blue, people come in different colors, and shape-shifters hide in plain sight. There are two different varieties of dragon-like aliens, who serve as the soldiers to opposing forces. When a princess gets caught in the crossfire, her guard risks everything to save her…

Things I Liked -

I loved that the story started out with a note: “Translated from the original Eltaran.”

Even though this story is unfinished, according to the author, it leaves off at a good point.

Summary of Story #2: The Quiet Ones -

Let me just say that I like sci-fi adventure/romances, okay? This story is a twist on the superhero genre. By a miraculous chain of events, a college-age woman gets superpowers. But instead of using them for some noble purpose, she decides to go mess with frat boys. Unexpectedly, one of them softens her heart. But when she hears a gunshot, she runs to help… leading to disastrous consequences.

Things I Liked -

The story was in first person; which actually made it more powerful and compelling.

The dry humor in this story had me laughing hysterically.

Where to Find These Stories -

Like I said, I followed a long and convoluted path to get to these stories. Thankfully, I can provide you with the direct links here:

No Earthly Ship

The Quiet Ones

They are in plain text format, so you might want to transfer them to a Word document if that bothers you.

Author Bio:

Kate Croston is a freelance writer, holds a bachelors degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. She writes guest posts for different sites and loves contributing home internet service related topics. Questions or comments can be sent to: katecroston.croston09 @ gmail.com.…More at No Earthly Ship and the Quiet Ones

Of course no one told me it was at the Radisson Edwardian hotel in Heathrow or even when it was. Perhaps someone will tell me in time for next years show. You have to admire George RR Martin with his money most would not have his down to earth flair and be as friendly to his fans. Rumor has it that there are still TWO more books to come yet. Watch this page

“Eastercon is the biggest date in the UK SF/fantasy convention calendar, and moves location each year – this year it was at the Radisson Edwardian hotel in Heathrow, London, along a suitably Ballardian strip of hotels and squat airport buildings. Next year it moves up north to Bradford.

John Medany says, “It wasn't so long ago that Eastercon was getting about 400 people, and this year we've got more than treble that.”

Perhaps a lot of the draw was the presence of the guest of honour, author George RR Martin. A huge name among SF and fantasy fans for decades, he has been catapulted to the forefront of the general public consciousness thanks to being the author of the A Song of Ice and Fire series of novels which are currently chewing up the ratings as HBO's supremely slick Game of Thrones TV series.

Martin is a large yet quiet presence whenever he walks through the hotel lobby with his UK editor at Harper's SF imprint Voyager, Jane Johnson, a successful novelist in her own right. That lobby is dominated by the throne of swords itself from the TV adaptation, where a steady succession of fans queue to have their pictures taken in the same pose as Sean Bean's brooding Nedd Stark.

Martin seems to accept the attention he gets in public equably enough – he's about as un-prima donna-ish as anyone could be while dominating the bestseller lists with multiple volumes. Martin still wears his trademark fisherman's cap wherever he goes.

“I get over to the UK maybe once a year,” he says as fans surreptitiously fire off shots with their camera phones. “Eastercon has been utterly amazing this year. The enthusiasm of the fans has been great. The TV show has certainly brought a lot of new fans. Sales of the books have gone crazy.”

“Nine million copies sold worldwide,” Jane Johnson tells me with understandable pride. Would Mr Martin consent to a photograph? Perhaps on the throne itself?

“Sure!” he says, cackling delightedly as, from nowhere, someone hands him a sword to wield and fans rush over for this unprecedented photo-opportunity.

But while the big names such as Martin and the other guests of honour including Tricia Sullivan, Cory Doctorow and Paul Cornell are obvious draws, the schedule is packed with panels probing the minutiae of SF, with a special emphasis on books, though there are movie strands and discussions on comics and gaming.

“It's been a brilliant success this year,” says Rita. “We went for inclusivity and I think we got it. There was even an airline pilot staying overnight in the hotel who came and had a look and was so impressed he let us sign him up. Our aim is to make Eastercon a 'safe space' for everyone to enjoy, regardless of who they are.”…More at The rise of Eastercon

Larry Correia – Monster Hunter International. Is the first book of a trilogy about Monsters and the people who hunt and kill them. Monster Hunter International is an American (Where else) Company dedicated to the eradication of monsters on earth.

Our heroes are much abused as they go about there business.

Government overview and Government competition cause them more hurt than the monsters. As our hero to be throws his boss out of the thirteenth floor window we know something is wrong here. If you enjoy a tale that is mindlessly entertaining, a heavily action based urban fantasy, with an accountant who is built like an outhouse and talented fighter and shootist then this is the book for you.

Its quite long for a fantasy and is heavy on the action. I liked it or it wouldn’t be here. There are two more to go – Monster Hunter Vendetta and Monster Hunter Alpha

Written by Larry Correia and available in either written or audible form. I listen to most of my books at the moment. At least I can get on with some thing else at the same time. Why not try this book for free with a 14-day FREE TRIAL with audible.co.uk and get 1 FREE audiobook download.

The Sworn has a typical Martin dark opening as plague and famine scourge the Winter Kingdoms, a vast invasion force is mustering from beyond the Northern Sea.

At its heart, a dark spirit mage wields the blood magic of ancient, vanquished gods. Summoner-King Martris Drayke must attempt to meet this threat. Neighbouring countrys reel toward anarchy while plague decimates their leaders.

Drayke must seek new allies from among the living – and the dead – as an untested generation of rulers face their first battle. All fine so far but then someone disturbs the legendary Dread as they rest in a millennia-long slumber beneath sacred barrows.

Their warrior guardians, the Sworn, know the Dread could be pivotal as a force for great good or evil. But if it’s the latter, could even the Summoner-King’s sorcery prevail?

Well I’m about half way thru at the moment and things look definately difficult dark dank and dodgy to me!

The Dread
To finish of this Fallen Kings duology ( an exuberant adventure of swordsmanship, sorcery and a new terror threatening a kingdom in crisis). Our Hero King Tris Drayke takes what remains of the Margolan army north to fight a war Margolan is ill-prepared to fight.

As spies confirm Tris’ worst fear a new threat rises across the sea: a dark summoner who intends to make the most of the Winter Kingdoms’ weakness.

In Isencroft, King Donelan is assassinated and Tris’s wife, Kiara, his daughter, will now have no choice except to return and claim the crown. The rogue mage’s agents will go to any length to prevent her from reaching her goal.

Despite all this Kiara and Tris must discover the truth behind the dark summoner, the mysterious power surrounding their infant son, and face the awesome power of the Dread as they rise from their barrows for the first time in over a millennium.

Last Argument of Kings

” Last Argument Of Kings: The First Law: Book Three:” as Amazon refers to it is not the end of our journey with Joe Abercrombie I’m already halfway thru Best Served Cold but more of that at a later date.

Last Argument Of Kings is difficult to review without giving away too much of what could be described as an apocalyptic ending.

An author should always end with the best and with Last Argument of Kings this theory is put into practice. The last of Joe Abercrombie’s debut fantasy collection, The First Law, demonstrates everything a finale should: gives some answers, and ties together the loose ends from a variety of plots. This series was always a swords and some small sorcerytale that used a wry dialogue with interleafed plotlines. Its not a comedy there is a large amount of tounge in cheek humour.

Its probably worthwile plagarising a paragraph from Colin P Linsey who puts it rather well:

“I’d hazard a guess though that there will be some readers who may not like how this series ended…because it isn’t necessarily pretty and it certainly isn’t a fairy tale ending. Unlike those tidier fantasy stories, Abercrombie doesn’t forget that battlefield corpses don’t just magically disappear and besieged cities aren’t magically made whole at the end of the day. His is a dirty, gritty world every bit as nasty as medieval Europe and the story and the endings reflect this adherence to realism. As Logen Nine-Fingers often says, you have to be realistic. Abercrombie definitely is realistic and the story reflects it. Wounds come at the price of disfigurement and death, people will do awful things to accomplish their goals, and people aren’t charitably motivated. The weak get squashed, soldiers get maimed, the powerful do horrendous evil to hang onto their power and the more things change, the more they stay the same. You have to be realistic about these things dear reader, and that realism is what sets this trilogy apart and makes it such a great read. ”

So last its over. The dead are dead and most of the living seem so. The rich are rich and the poor are er… poor. It remind me of tales of medieval England during the times of the 100yr war. My verdict thirteen out of ten. Not at all what I expected and after all my years this takes some doing. Well done Joe Abercrombie long may you entertain me!

Philip

Farland maintains a steady flow of new situations, reversals, gambits and surprises…it’s a real shock when one chap who has incurred a dreadful penalty for virtuous reasons is not spared (as expected in the normal chivalry of fantasyland) but pays the full, eye-watering price. One small criticism: the writing contains occasional sloppiness and repetition that a copyeditor should have removed. It’s still a rousing, painfully gripping story. –David Langford

David Farland Brotherhood of the Wolf (Runelords)