I know that it has not been long since the last book haul, but I could not resist. Last week my friend and I spent the entire day goign between two used book stores. Considering neither of us has a gigantic budget for books the used book stores by us make a great alternative. So here are all of the books I purchased. Again, let me know in the comments below if you've read any of these books and what you thought of them.
Midnight Never Come - By: Marie Brennan
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Note: I heard this series was phenominal and I have been looking for more Alternative History Fantasy now that I've been turned on to the Spiritwalker Trilogy. Also, this may not be for those of you who do not enjoy politics.
Summary:
England flourishes under the hand of its Virgin Queen: Elizabeth, Gloriana, last and most powerful of the Tudor monarchs.
But a great light casts a great shadow.
In hidden catacombs beneath London, a second Queen holds court: Invidiana, ruler of faerie England, and a dark mirror to the glory above. In the thirty years since Elizabeth ascended her throne, fae and mortal politics have become inextricably entwined, in secret alliances and ruthless betrayals whose existence is suspected only by a few.
Two courtiers, both struggling for royal favor, are about to uncover the secrets that lie behind these two thrones. When the faerie lady Lune is sent to monitor and manipulate Elizabeth's spymaster, Walsingham, her path crosses that of Michael Deven, a mortal gentleman and agent of Walsingham's. His discovery of the "hidden player" in English politics will test Lune's loyalty and Deven's courage alike. Will she betray her Queen for the sake of a world that is not hers? And can he survive in the alien and Machiavellian world of the fae? For only together will they be able to find the source of Invidiana's power — find it, and break it . . . .
A breathtaking novel of intrigue and betrayal set in Elizabethan England; Midnight Never Come seamlessly weaves together history and the fantastic to dazzling effect.
Transformation - By: Carol Berg
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Note: I figured now that I've read Song of the Beast (review here) I might as well read some of Carol Berg's actual series. I think starting from the beginnign should be good. Also not the best cover, I know, but the story sounds good.
Summary:
Seyonne is a man waiting to die. He has been a slave for sixteen years, almost half his life, and has lost everything of meaning to him: his dignity, the people and homeland he loves, and the Warden's power he used to defend an unsuspecting world from the ravages of demons. Seyonne has made peace with his fate. With strict self-discipline he forces himself to exist only in the present moment and to avoid the pain of hope or caring about anyone. But from the moment he is sold to the arrogant, careless Prince Aleksander, the heir to the Derzhi Empire, Seyonne's uneasy peace begins to crumble. And when he discovers a demon lurking in the Derzhi court, he must find hope and strength in a most unlikely place...
Son of Avonar - By: Carol Berg
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Note: More Carol Berg, nothing else needs to be said.
Summary:
Magic is forbidden throughout the Four Realms. For decades, sorcerers and those associating with them were hunted to near extinction.
But Seri, a Leiran noblewoman living in exile, is no stranger to defying the unjust laws of her land. She is sheltering a wanted fugitive who possesses unusual abilities-a fugitive with the fate of the realms in his hands...
Otherland - By: Tad Williams
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Note: If you could not tell from my rave reviews of Shadowmarch and Shadowplay. I have become a rather die-hard fan of Tad Williams. So it resulted in gettign this book.
Summary (ish):
Surrounded by secrecy, it is home to the wildest dreams and darkest nightmares. Incredible amounts of money have been lavished on it. The best minds of two generations have labored to build it. And somehow, bit by bit, it is claiming the Earth's most valuable resource -- its children.
Rhapsody - By: Elizabeth Haydon
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Summary:
Rhapsody is a woman, a Singer of some talent, who is swept up into events of world-shattering import. On the run from an old romantic interest who won't take no for an answer, Rhapsody literally bumps into a couple of shady characters: half-breeds who come to her rescue in the nick of time. Only the rescue turns into an abduction, and Rhapsody soon finds herself dragged along on an epic voyage, one that spans centuries and ranges across a wonder-filled fantasy world— a world so real you can hear the sweet music of Rhapsody's aubade and smell the smoldering forges deep within the Cauldron.
Black Sun Rising - By: C.S.Friedman
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Note: This series came highly recommended. I heard it was "genre- changing" and an amazing blend of sci fi and fantasy.
Summary:
The Coldfire trilogy tells a story of discovery and battle against evil on a planet where a force of nature exists that is capable of reshaping the world in response to psychic stimulus. This terrifying force, much like magic, has the power to prey upon the human mind, drawing forth a person's worst nightmare images or most treasured dreams and indiscriminately giving them life. This is the story of two men: one, a warrior priest ready to sacrifice anything and everything for the cause of humanity's progress; the other, a sorcerer who has survived for countless centuries by a total submission to evil. They are absolute enemies who must unite to conquer an evil greater than anything their world has ever known.
With her highly acclaimed novels In Conquest Born and The Madness Season, C.S. Friedman acquired a well-deserved reputation for exploring science fiction's most challenging themes. Now she turns her talent to fantasy in a novel that boldly and provocatively examines the ever-mutable nature of evil and mortality.
So, those were all the books I purchased on my second book haul.
Midnight Never Come - By: Marie Brennan
Note: I heard this series was phenominal and I have been looking for more Alternative History Fantasy now that I've been turned on to the Spiritwalker Trilogy. Also, this may not be for those of you who do not enjoy politics.
Summary:
England flourishes under the hand of its Virgin Queen: Elizabeth, Gloriana, last and most powerful of the Tudor monarchs.
But a great light casts a great shadow.
In hidden catacombs beneath London, a second Queen holds court: Invidiana, ruler of faerie England, and a dark mirror to the glory above. In the thirty years since Elizabeth ascended her throne, fae and mortal politics have become inextricably entwined, in secret alliances and ruthless betrayals whose existence is suspected only by a few.
Two courtiers, both struggling for royal favor, are about to uncover the secrets that lie behind these two thrones. When the faerie lady Lune is sent to monitor and manipulate Elizabeth's spymaster, Walsingham, her path crosses that of Michael Deven, a mortal gentleman and agent of Walsingham's. His discovery of the "hidden player" in English politics will test Lune's loyalty and Deven's courage alike. Will she betray her Queen for the sake of a world that is not hers? And can he survive in the alien and Machiavellian world of the fae? For only together will they be able to find the source of Invidiana's power — find it, and break it . . . .
A breathtaking novel of intrigue and betrayal set in Elizabethan England; Midnight Never Come seamlessly weaves together history and the fantastic to dazzling effect.
Transformation - By: Carol Berg
Note: I figured now that I've read Song of the Beast (review here) I might as well read some of Carol Berg's actual series. I think starting from the beginnign should be good. Also not the best cover, I know, but the story sounds good.
Summary:
Seyonne is a man waiting to die. He has been a slave for sixteen years, almost half his life, and has lost everything of meaning to him: his dignity, the people and homeland he loves, and the Warden's power he used to defend an unsuspecting world from the ravages of demons. Seyonne has made peace with his fate. With strict self-discipline he forces himself to exist only in the present moment and to avoid the pain of hope or caring about anyone. But from the moment he is sold to the arrogant, careless Prince Aleksander, the heir to the Derzhi Empire, Seyonne's uneasy peace begins to crumble. And when he discovers a demon lurking in the Derzhi court, he must find hope and strength in a most unlikely place...
Son of Avonar - By: Carol Berg
Note: More Carol Berg, nothing else needs to be said.
Summary:
Magic is forbidden throughout the Four Realms. For decades, sorcerers and those associating with them were hunted to near extinction.
But Seri, a Leiran noblewoman living in exile, is no stranger to defying the unjust laws of her land. She is sheltering a wanted fugitive who possesses unusual abilities-a fugitive with the fate of the realms in his hands...
Otherland - By: Tad Williams
Note: If you could not tell from my rave reviews of Shadowmarch and Shadowplay. I have become a rather die-hard fan of Tad Williams. So it resulted in gettign this book.
Summary (ish):
Surrounded by secrecy, it is home to the wildest dreams and darkest nightmares. Incredible amounts of money have been lavished on it. The best minds of two generations have labored to build it. And somehow, bit by bit, it is claiming the Earth's most valuable resource -- its children.
Rhapsody - By: Elizabeth Haydon
Summary:
Rhapsody is a woman, a Singer of some talent, who is swept up into events of world-shattering import. On the run from an old romantic interest who won't take no for an answer, Rhapsody literally bumps into a couple of shady characters: half-breeds who come to her rescue in the nick of time. Only the rescue turns into an abduction, and Rhapsody soon finds herself dragged along on an epic voyage, one that spans centuries and ranges across a wonder-filled fantasy world— a world so real you can hear the sweet music of Rhapsody's aubade and smell the smoldering forges deep within the Cauldron.
Black Sun Rising - By: C.S.Friedman
Note: This series came highly recommended. I heard it was "genre- changing" and an amazing blend of sci fi and fantasy.
Summary:
The Coldfire trilogy tells a story of discovery and battle against evil on a planet where a force of nature exists that is capable of reshaping the world in response to psychic stimulus. This terrifying force, much like magic, has the power to prey upon the human mind, drawing forth a person's worst nightmare images or most treasured dreams and indiscriminately giving them life. This is the story of two men: one, a warrior priest ready to sacrifice anything and everything for the cause of humanity's progress; the other, a sorcerer who has survived for countless centuries by a total submission to evil. They are absolute enemies who must unite to conquer an evil greater than anything their world has ever known.
With her highly acclaimed novels In Conquest Born and The Madness Season, C.S. Friedman acquired a well-deserved reputation for exploring science fiction's most challenging themes. Now she turns her talent to fantasy in a novel that boldly and provocatively examines the ever-mutable nature of evil and mortality.
So, those were all the books I purchased on my second book haul.