SUMMARY:
Sean McMullen, frequent winner of Australia's top science fiction award, the Ditmar, has created a fascinating adventure through time in The Centurion's Empire. From A.D. 71 to 2029, the Roman centurion Vitellan hibernates through the centuries via an elixir made from snow-dwelling insects. Unfortunately, he doesn't possess the antidote for the corrosive substance, so every time he is awakened, his body is more ravaged. His frigidarium is secreted beneath an English village, and as the Danes invade during the Dark Ages, the villagers, in fear for their lives, awaken him. He teaches them Roman martial discipline and they fight off the Danish rabble, but he's so weak that he must return to his cold sleep and await better medicine in the future. He is awakened in 1358 to battle again, this time in France, but it's his next awakening--in 2028--that propels the latter half of the novel into a thrill ride of nanotech-embellished skullduggery, as Illuminati-like factions vie for control of the resurrected hero. The centurion's viewpoint offers both a window into history and a ledge to stand on while peering into the future. Readers who enjoy the juxtaposition of historical novel with science-fiction adventure, as in Ian McDonald's King of Morning, Queen of Day, will appreciate McMullen's expertise in The Centurion's Empire. --Blaise Selby Views: 15
Robert A. Heinlein Award-winning SF writer Michael Flynn returns to space opera and to the world of The January DancerThe Hound Bridget ban has vanished and the Kennel (the mysterious superspy agency) has given up looking for her. But her daughter, the harper Mearana, has not, and she has convinced the scarred man, Donovan, to aid in her search.But Donovan's mind has been shattered by Those of Name, the rulers of the Confederacy, and no fewer than seven quarreling personalities now inhabit his skull. How can he hope to see Mearana safely through her quest?Together, they follow Bridget ban's trail to the raw worlds of the frontier, edging ever closer to the de-civilized and barbarian planets of the Wild. Along the way, they encounter evidence that they too are being followed--by a deadly agent of Those of Name.From BooklistOn the harper Mearana’s home planet, up Jim River is a saying indicating a journey ever further into danger and the unknown. Mearana’s mother, Bridget ban, has disappeared on mysterious business. Even the Kennel, her employer and one of the galaxy’s two sources of secret agents, didn’t know what she was looking for or where she went. Mearana is determined, though, to discover her mother’s fate. She manages to convince the scarred man, the Fudir, who was once Donovan but became six or seven personalities after a botched experiment by Those of Name, to join her out of a sense of nostalgia. The worlds inhabited by these people are sufficient reason to read the novel. The extrapolations of linguistic drift and remnants of ancient history that Flynn conjures constitute a fascinating story in themselves. Adding to them a tense and thrilling search from the bar on Jehovah to the very Wild itself, through strange cultures and dangerous ports, just makes the book all the more engaging. A future history with serious punch. --Regina Schroeder ReviewPraise for Michael Flynn:“With well-drawn characters and a colorful universe, this narrative tour de force brings space opera to the next level.”--Library Journal on *Up Jim River“The return to the far future Flynn universe is an engaging science fiction thriller that focuses on a search and rescue mission in an isolated lethal area of the human dominated galaxy. . . . Up Jim River is an enjoyable mostly planet side adventure thriller on an orb on the edge of the Wilds of deep space.”--SFRevu“Flynn implants the style of medieval storytelling into an old-fashioned space opera.”--The Washington Post Book World“Composed with structural brilliance, invested with authentic human feeling, and redolent not only of its SF precursors but of archetypal myths that echo timelessly through life and art, The January Dancer is a masterpiece.”--Locus“Weaves love, mystery, music, action . . . to create a mammoth of a read that will leave readers enraptured in its pages for generations to come.”--Sacramento Book Review on The January Dancer* Views: 15
Eleven-year-old Sophie Turner attends an all-girls private school in Manhattan. When Sophie's family falls apart and her best friend rejects her for a faster crowd, Sophie's only source of comfort is the distant voice of her school-assigned pen pal, Katie.Eleven-year-old Katie Franklin lives in California. She is thrilled to be spearheading a charity project with her best friend, Jake--but when Jake starts paying attention to another girl, a jealous and misunderstood Katie is left with one friend she can confide in--her pen pal, Sophie.This realistic, gentle novel is a testament to the enduring power of friendship--even from miles away. Views: 15
Potent sex appeal, smarts, irresistible charm...the patient assigned to social worker Lexi Brennan's care had everything -- except any idea who he was! With no ID and no memory after an avalanche hit his ski slope, John Doe was forced to stay in town to recuperate. And Lexi, who once believed she was better-off single, was suddenly having second thoughts.
The instant Lexi entered his hospital room, John Doe -- a.k.a. Dallas attorney Nick Delacorte -- was drawn to her wit and warmth. But what if the memory he was trying to recover proved he had other ties? His heart had made room for Lexi and her adorable little girl. Now all he wanted was to make a place for them in his life! Views: 15
An original collaboration among five of the genre’s brightest authors, A Glimpse of Darkness is urban fantasy as it’s never been done before. Originally featured on Suvudu.com, this is Random House’s first multicontributor chain story in which the readers voted on the outcome—now published here in its entirety as a thrilling eBook. Munira bint Azhar, the half-human daughter of a djinn, is a skilled Retriever in the city of Port Nightfall. Now the powerful sorcerer Temesis has given Munira a dire ultimatum: steal a magical lantern—the Light of Ta’lab—from the horrific undead kingdom below the city, or watch her father die at Temesis’s hand. Will she be able to retrieve the lantern and save her father’s life, or will they both perish in the process?With an Afterword featuring the choices readers were given at the end of each chapter. Views: 15
Alistair is a master of spinning lies, using his position as a freelance journalist to safeguard the secrets of the wolf shifters. With the Noturatii closing in on their estate, he must use every trick he knows to lead their enemies astray, making them see what isn't there and miss what is right under their noses.Li Khuli is a predator at the top of her game. Trained since she was a child to be a brutal and heartless assassin, she has now finally located the estate the shifters call home and is preparing for an assault that will wipe out the pack forever.But when these two foes lock horns, no one could have anticipated the result. Confronted with a deceiver as skilled as himself, will Alistair be able to see through Li Khuli's lies and protect his Den? Or, after six hundred years of fighting for survival, will the Endless War finally claim the Lakes District pack? Views: 15
Lord...libertine...lawbreaker?Heiress Deborah Cleveland jilted an earl for Randolph Chadwicke. He promised he would come back for her. But then he disappeared... Seven years later Randolph, now Lord Buckland, bursts back into Deborah's life! She's unmarried and penniless, he's as sinfully attractive as ever--but this time he isn't offering marriage... Worst of all, he seems to be involved with the murderous local smugglers. Can Deborah resist the dark magnetism of the lawless lord? Regency Rogues Ripe for a scandal. Ready for a bride. Views: 15
