Hello and happy Friday, my little triffids! It’s me, Liberty! Jenn once again needed a day off to recharge her brain pan in her ecto-cocoon, so I am going to talk at you today instead. And by Grabthar’s Hammer, you’re going to be entertained! Today we’ve got drag queen sorceresses, necrogoth cavaliers, and more.
Sponsored by Berkley
New York Times bestselling author Stephen R. Donaldson returns to the world of his Great God’s War fantasy epic, twenty years after the realms of Belleger and Amika ceased generations of war. That alliance was sealed with the marriage of Prince Bifalt to Estie, the crown princess of Amika. But the peace–and their marriage–has been uneasy. Now the terrible war that King Bifalt and Queen Estie feared is coming. An ancient enemy has arisen, and it will take all of the monarchs’ strength and will to inspire their kingdoms to become one, or all will be lost. . . .
Notes
Okay, so we have to get this out of the way first: Game of Thrones returns for its final season this Sunday, April 14th at 9pm EST. Who doesn’t think this is going to be the most-watched show of all time?
- Tor had some thoughts on a notable character absence from the series. (Is it too much to wish an appearance might still happen?)
- The Rioters voted on who they think should get the Iron Throne. (Spoiler: I voted Cersei. And I’m not the only one who thinks so.)
- Pedro Pascal was the highlight of the red carpet premiere. (Not counting Gwendolyn Christie’s dress.)
- The Shake Shake is offering a Game of Thrones menu.
- Here are the horrible diseases you could get in Westeros.
- And here’s all the stuff you need to know in case you need a refresher before you watch the final season.
- Here’s SyFy’s list of the seven essential episodes.
- And if you’re into spoilers, here’s a new clip from Season 8.
Jo Walton read 27 books in March. And you can see them all for yourself.
Funny papers: Here’s a list of new comics out this week.
Here’s the cover for the sequel to Children of Blood and Bone: Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi will hit shelves on December 3rd.
Remember how I went on and on about Gideon the Ninth last time I filled in? You can read the first two chapters about your soon-to-be favorite necrogoth online now. (Seriously, I am obsessed.)
N.K. Jemisin has written a foreword for the latest edition of Octavia Butler’s classic Parable of the Sower.
And here’s the first look at Ryan La Sala’s Reverie, coming in January 2020, which the description says is about “a gay teenager with amnesia who is haunted by a drag queen sorceress,” and is being marketed as “Inception meets The Magicians.”
And don’t forget Hellboy opens this weekend!
Me: Meh, I am not interested in a new Hellboy film.
Movie: Oh look, it’s Baba Yaga’s chicken leg house.
Me: THIS IS EVERYTHING I WANTED.
Zombie, zombie, zom-bie-ie-ie-ie: Jonathan Maberry’s zombie YA series Rot & Ruin is going to be a film.
Erin Morgenstern shared the cover for The Starless Sea. It’s coming November 5th and is worth the wait, I promise!
It’s another great week for exciting new releases:
Riverland by Fran Wilde
The Casket of Time by Andri Snær Magnason (Author), Björg Arnadóttir (Translator), Andrew Cauthery (Translator)
The Red Scrolls of Magic (The Eldest Curses) by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu
The Dream Peddler: A Novel by Martine Fournier Watson
Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City by K.J. Parker
Dreaming Darkly by Caitlin Kittredge
Through the White Wood by Jessica Leake
How to Make Friends with the Dark by Kathleen Glasgow
The City of Folding Faces by Jayinee Basu
We Are Mayhem: A Black Star Renegades Novel by Michael Moreci
Alien: Echo: An Original Young Adult Novel of the Alien Universe by Mira Grant
Seven Blades in Black (The Grave of Empires) Sam Sykes
Wounds: Six Stories from the Border of Hell by Nathan Ballingrud
Princess Bari by Hwang Sok-yong, Sora Kim-Russell (Translator)
No teasing this time, I promise! For this week’s review, I actually picked a book this time around that is out now, so you don’t have to wait!
Descendant of the Crane by Joan He
This is an AMAZING new YA fantasy novel about kingdoms, politics, and revenge! And it has courtroom drama, which I didn’t realize I needed in a YA fantasy novel until I read this one.
So Princess Hesina of Yan is super not into being royalty, and hopes to live out her days without having any real responsibilities. But then her father is murdered. At least, she believes he was murdered, and she’s going to prove it. And oh yeah, now she’s going to have to be queen, too. So much for avoiding any adulting.
In order to gather the evidence and strength Hesina needs, she disguises herself to go into a seedy part of the kingdom and visit a soothsayer. Sooths were banned from the land, and she could lose her life if she’s caught, but avenging her father’s death is more important to Hesina. The sooth knows why she is there and tells her who she must find to represent her in the royal courts.
Hesina is hesitant when she hears her lawyer is secretive convicted criminal. But Akira proves himself to be brilliant. And while her political advisers attempt to convince Hesina her father’s death was the work of a rival kingdom, in order to start a war that will further their political goals, Hesina knows it was someone close to her. And with Akira’s help, she’s going to prove it.
This was F-U-N with a capital “HELL YES!” I loved Hesina. She’s stubborn, and flawed, and adamant about her beliefs. And sometimes she’s wrong, but she’s making all her own decisions on her own terms. Not for romance or a sense of duty, which is what we need from more princesses in fantasy books. This awesome novel is a standalone, but I hear rumor that there will be a companion book. Now GET THEE TO A BOOKSTORE.
And that’s a wrap! You can find all of the books recommended in this newsletter on a handy Goodreads shelf. (I don’t have the keys to the Goodreads account, but I’m sure Jenn will add Descendant of the Crane when she gets back.) If you’re interested in more science fiction and fantasy talk, you can catch Jenn and Sharifah on the SFF Yeah! podcast. If you want to check out more of my bookish enthusiasm, you can find me on All the Books! and All the Backlist!, or sharing tons of pictures of my cats and books on Instagram at @franzencomesalive. Be excellent to each other!