Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Cover Reveal News Round-Up, Including Books By Mark Lawrence, Deborah Harkness, And Sarah Dass

The holidays have brought along some nice gifts! This set of cover reveals includes covers of books by Mark Lawrence, Deborah Harkness, and Sarah Dass.

The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence

The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence

Synopsis

Two people living in a world connected by an immense and mysterious library must fight for those they love in the second book in a new trilogy from the international bestselling author of The Book That Wouldn’t Burn.

The Library spans worlds and times. It touches and joins distant places. It is memory and future. And amid its vastness Evar Eventari both found, and lost, Livira Page.

Evar has been forced to flee the library, driven before an implacable foe. Livira, trapped in a ghost world, has to recover the book she wrote—one which is the only true threat to the library’s existence—if she's to return to her life.

While Evar's journey leads him outside into a world he's never seen, Livira's path will taker her deep inside her own writing, where she must wrestle with her stories in order to reclaim the volume in which they were written.

The secret war that defines the library has chosen its champions and set them on the board. The time has come when they must fight for what they believe, or lose everything.


The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence will be released on April 9, 2024.

The Black Bird Oracle by Deborah Harkness

The Black Bird Oracle by Deborah Harkness

Synopsis

Diana Bishop journeys to the darkest places within herself—and her family history—in the highly anticipated fifth novel of the beloved #1 New York Times bestselling All Souls series.

Deborah Harkness first introduced the world to Diana Bishop, Oxford scholar and witch, and vampire geneticist Matthew de Clairmont in A Discovery of Witches. Drawn to each other despite long-standing taboos, these two otherworldly beings found themselves at the center of a battle for a lost, enchanted manuscript known as Ashmole 782. Since then, they have fallen in love, traveled to Elizabethan England, dissolved the Covenant between the three species, and awoken the dark powers within Diana’s family line.

Now, Diana and Matthew receive a formal demand from the Congregation: They must test the magic of their seven-year-old twins, Pip and Rebecca. Concerned with their safety and desperate to avoid the same fate that led her parents to spellbind her, Diana decides to forge a different path for her family’s future and answers a message from a great-aunt she never knew existed, Gwyneth Proctor, whose invitation simply reads: It’s time you came home, Diana.

On the hallowed ground of Ravenswood, the Proctor family home, and under the tutelage of Gwyneth, a talented witch grounded in higher magic, a new era begins for Diana: a confrontation with her family’s dark past, and a reckoning for her own desire for even greater power—if she can let go, finally, of her fear of wielding it.


The Black Bird Oracle by Deborah Harkness will be released on July 16, 2024.

It Waits in the Forest by Sarah Dass

It Waits in the Forest by Sarah Dass

Synopsis

The very first thriller from Rick Riordan Presents! Drawing from the darkest corners of Caribbean mythology, acclaimed author Sarah Dass crafts a chilling tale of magic, murder, and how far we’ll go to protect what’s ours—perfect for fans of Angeline Boulley and Tiffany D. Jackson.

Unlike the other residents of the small Caribbean Island of St. Virgil, Selina DaSilva does not believe in magic. With a logical mind and a knack for botany, Selina used to dream of leaving the island to study Pharmacology—until a vicious, unsolved attack left her father dead and her mother in a coma.

Now her guilt over her mother’s condition keeps her tethered to the island, relegated to conning gullible tourists with useless talismans and phony protection rituals. But when one of those tourists ends up at the center of a string of strange murders, the truth that Selina has been denying can no longer be avoided: there is evil lurking in the forests that surround St. Virgil. Another thing that can’t be avoided? Selina’s ex-boyfriend Gabriel, newly employed at the local newspaper and eager to put his investigative skills to use.

Desperate to put an end to the killings and claim justice for Selina’s family, these two former lovers race to find answers. But evil bides its time. And as long-buried feelings and long-hidden secrets about Selina’s family’s past begin to reveal themselves, only one answer remains—and it waits in the forest.


It Waits in the Forest by Sarah Dass will be released on May 14, 2024.

Wednesday, December 13, 2023

Cover Reveal News Round-Up, Including Books By Christopher Tolkien & J. R. R. Tolkien, Anna Stephens, Brandon Sanderson, And Amie Kaufman

Fantasy is on a roll in this edition of cover reveals, starting with new books from Anna Stephens, Brandon Sanderson, and Amie Kaufman and a rebranding of the Tolkien classics!

The Dark Feather by Anna Stephens

The Dark Feather by Anna Stephens

Synopsis

Ixachipan is in flames.

Rebellion rages in every land and across every hill as the Empire of Songs battles to maintain control, but nowhere more fiercely than in the Singing City itself. In the great pyramid at its heart, Shadow Tayan faces the awful consequences of his actions, and their seductive possibilities.

In the city streets, Xessa and Lilla lead their warriors in increasingly desperate battles, their unity riven by betrayal and deception, while far to the north, Whisper Ilandeh discovers the freedom – and obligation – in making her own choices.

But war is fickle, and so are people. Sometimes, the only peace possible is that bought with blood and lies.

And when vengeance sings, the choices made will determine whether the flames of war are fanned – or drowned.


The Dark Feather by Anna Stephens will be released on March 28, 2024.

The Sunlit Man by Brandon Sanderson

The Sunlit Man by Brandon Sanderson

Synopsis

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson―creator of The Stormlight Archive, the Mistborn Saga, and countless bestselling works of science fiction and fantasy―comes this standalone novel showing a rare glimpse of a future Cosmere universe.

Running. Putting distance between himself and the relentless Night Brigade has been Nomad’s strategy for years. Staying one or two steps ahead of his pursuers by skipping through the Cosmere from one world to the next.

But now, his powers too depleted to escape, Nomad finds himself trapped on Canticle, a planet that will kill anyone who doesn’t keep moving. Fleeing the fires of a sunrise that melts the very stones, he is instantly caught up in the struggle between a heartless tyrant and the brave rebels who defy him.

Failure means a quick death, incinerated by the sun... or a lifetime as a mindless slave. Tormented by the consequences of his past, Nomad must fight not only for his survival―but also for his very soul.


The Sunlit Man by Brandon Sanderson will be released on March 5, 2024.

The Heart of the World by Amie Kaufman

The Heart of the World by Amie Kaufman

Synopsis

Magic and sacrifice will collide as lovers and gods, enemies and allies vie for the fate of the world in this heart-pounding sequel to The Isles of the Gods, which Stephanie Garber called "deliciously diabolical and full of heart."

The Heart of the World by Amie Kaufman will be released on July 2, 2024.

The History of Middle-earth (Boxed Set 2): The Lays of Beleriand, The Shaping of Middle-earth & The Lost Road by Christopher Tolkien & J. R. R. Tolkien

The History of Middle-earth Box Set 2 by Tolkien

Synopsis

Second in a series of hardback boxed sets celebrating the literary achievement of Christopher Tolkien, featuring double-sided dustjackets. Includes The Lays of Beleriand, The Shaping of Middle-earth and The Lost Road, which contain the early myths and legends that led to the writings of The Silmarillion.

The Lays of Beleriand gives us a privileged insight into the creation of the mythology of Middle-earth through the alliterative verse tales of two of the most crucial stories in Tolkien’s world – those of Túrin and of Beren and Lúthien. Accompanying the poems are commentaries on the evolution of the history of the Elder Days, together with the notable criticism of The Lay of Leithian by C.S. Lewis, who read the poem in 1929.

In The Shaping of Middle-earth the chronological and geographical structure of the legends of Middle-earth and Valinor is spread before us. We are introduced to the hitherto unknown Ambarkanta or ‘Shape of the World’, the only account ever given of the nature of the imagined Universe, accompanied by maps and diagrams of the world before and after the cataclysms of the War of the Gods and the Downfall of Númenor. Also included are the original ‘Silmarillion’ of 1926, and the Quenta Noldorinwa of 1930 – the only version of the myths and legends of the First Age that J.R.R. Tolkien completed to their end.

The Lost Road completes the examination of Tolkien’s writing completes the examination of Tolkien's writing before he began The Lord of the Rings, presenting later forms of the annals of Valinor and Beleriand, the legend of the downfall of Númenor, and the abandoned ‘time-travel’ story The Lost Road, linking the world of Númenor and Middle-earth with the legends of many other times and peoples.

Published together for the first time, these three books comprise a fascinating period of Christopher Tolkien’s forty-year career devoted to presenting his father J.R.R. Tolkien’s writings on Middle-earth, itself a unique accomplishment that celebrates the greatest invented world in all of fantasy literature.


The History of Middle-earth (Boxed Set 2): The Lays of Beleriand, The Shaping of Middle-earth & The Lost Road by Christopher Tolkien & J. R. R. Tolkien will be released on March 28, 2024.

Sunday, November 19, 2023

Cover Reveal News Round-Up, Including Books By Stephen King, James S. A. Corey, Seanan McGuire, And Ann Leckie

A collection of horror stories, a new Sci-Fi series opener, an alternate multiversal super-hero tale, and a rebanradning to a classic that's been loved for a decade! What more can you ask for from Stephen King, James S. A. Corey, Seanan McGuire, and Ann Leckie. And the books are a varied genre to boot!

You Like It Darker: Stories by Stephen King

You Like It Darker: Stories by Stephen King

Synopsis

From legendary storyteller and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary new collection of twelve short stories, many never-before-published, and some of his best EVER.

“You like it darker? Fine, so do I,” writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel “the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind,” and in You Like It Darker, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.

“Two Talented Bastids” explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny’s most catastrophically. In “Rattlesnakes,” a sequel to Cujo, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. In “The Dreamers,” a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. “The Answer Man” asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.

King’s ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries; each feels iconic. You like it darker? You got it.


You Like It Darker: Stories by Stephen King will be released on May 21, 2024.

The Mercy of Gods by James S. A. Corey

The Mercy of Gods by James S. A. Corey

Synopsis

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Expanse comes a spectacular new space opera that sees humanity fighting for its survival in a war as old as the universe itself.

How humanity came to the planet called Anjiin is lost in the fog of history, but that history is about to end.

The Carryx – part empire, part hive – have waged wars of conquest for centuries, destroying or enslaving species across the galaxy. Now, they are facing a great and deathless enemy. The key to their survival may rest with the humans of Anjiin.

Caught up in academic intrigue and affairs of the heart, Dafyd Alkhor is pleased just to be an assistant to a brilliant scientist and his celebrated research team. Then the Carryx ships descend, decimating the human population and taking the best and brightest of Anjiin society away to serve on the Carryx homeworld, and Dafyd is swept along with them.

They are dropped in the middle of a struggle they barely understand, set in a competition against the other captive species with extinction as the price of failure. Only Dafyd and a handful of his companions see past the Darwinian contest to the deeper game that they must play to survive: learning to understand – and manipulate – the Carryx themselves.

With a noble but suicidal human rebellion on one hand and strange and murderous enemies on the other, the team pays a terrible price to become the trusted servants of their new rulers.

Dafyd Alkhor is a simple man swept up in events that are beyond his control and more vast than his imagination. He will become the champion of humanity and its betrayer, the most hated man in history and the guardian of his people.

This is where his story begins.


The Mercy of Gods by James S. A. Corey will be released on August 6, 2024.

Marvel: What If... Wanda Maximoff and Peter Parker Were Siblings? by Seanan McGuire

Marvel: What If... Wanda Maximoff and Peter Parker Were Siblings? by Seanan McGuire

Synopsis

Wanda and Peter Parker embrace great responsibility in the next adventure of an epic multiversal series that reimagines iconic Marvel origin stories.

So many worlds, so little time. Infinite possibilities, creating infinite realities. Long have I watched death court the Scarlet Witch. But . . . what if Wanda didn’t have to suffer her grief alone?

All Wanda has ever known is her friendly little neighborhood in Queens. As an infant, after her parents died, she was adopted into a family where her doting Aunt May and Uncle Ben will always be at the breakfast table. One that includes her idiot brother, Peter Parker, who thinks hiding a spider bite, joining a secret fight club, and becoming a superhero are somehow good ideas.

When Wanda’s own powers emerge, blood, chaos, and suspicion follow in their wake. But as she harnesses her power under the guidance of Doctor Strange, Peter is standing beside her in the Sanctum Sanctorum. And as they try to protect New York City, the Parker siblings learn that with great powers, there must also come great responsibilities—and greater loss.

Reeling from tragedy, Wanda finds herself truly alone for the first time in her life. Peter is lost to his own grief, and so she must strike out on her own. But on her first solo outing, she runs into a mysterious speedster—a man named Pietro. And everything she has ever known shatters like glass.

Faced with unbelievable truths, Wanda is forced to choose between the life she knows and the life she could have.


Marvel: What If... Wanda Maximoff and Peter Parker Were Siblings? (A Scarlet Witch & Spider-Man Story) by Seanan McGuire will be released on July 9, 2024.

Ancillary Justice (10th Anniversary Edition) by Ann Leckie

Ancillary Justice (10th Anniversary Edition) by Ann Leckie

Synopsis

A gorgeous new hardcover edition that celebrates the 10th anniversary of Ann Leckie's bestselling and Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke award-winning debut.

Special features include a striking new cover and illustrated endpapers, a foil stamped case, and a new introduction from the author.

From New York Times-bestselling and multi award-winning author Ann Leckie comes the first book in the masterful Imperial Radch series, in which a warship trapped in a human body is on a quest for revenge.

On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest.

Once, she was the Justice of Toren—a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy.

Now, an act of treachery has ripped it all away, leaving her with one fragile human body, unanswered questions, and a burning desire for vengeance.


Ancillary Justice (10th Anniversary Edition) by Ann Leckie will be released on November 28, 2023.