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One is Look Who's Back by Timur Vermes - a satire containing Adolf Hitler which is not what you were to expect - so far so brilliant this one is! The other is Traitor's Blade by Sebastien de Castell - a rip-roaring fantasy debut (so far this is up there with the best fantasy debuts I have read!). Both are in my top ten books for 2014 and I have not finished them yet! If you click on the pictures, it will show you the book descriptions.
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 I finished the review copy of this book and all I can say is, Prajwal Parajuly, thank you for creating such a work of brilliance, the characters in this book are so real, so real that after reading it I feel I know them so well and even warmed to the main (often cold) character Chitralekha Nepauney and that I was actually at her Chaurasi (landmark 84th Birthday). Yet I know it was a story, a fiction story but one which had me addicted to it from the first few lines and it felt like I was taken to India where the book is mostly set and not actually in my office in Wales reading it! It is sad, funny, at times really funny and portrays everything and everyone in it perfectly, everybody has a story and each story is real and I know we could all relate to one or more of this individuals stories but, it is no comedy, it is about a real family, albeit a very well-off one but all the problems they have/had are interchangeable with anyones life who reads it.
For anyone that wants to read a master at work even though this is his first (long) novel (taking into account he wrote a book of short stories called The Gurkha's Daughter), you will not be disappointed. 9.5 out of 10. This book is released on the 6th February 2014 but is available on Kindle right now! Click here for Amazon reviews/descriptions/author information.  So it's not much of a tip as I have not read it, yet. My Mother-in-Law (still) has the copy and is still holding onto it, I am not sure if she is reading it multiple times because she has had it for 2 months now!
The reviews both from the press and on Amazon have been nothing but amazing, so I was just wishing to know if anyone had read it, if so, should I just buy my own copy? I may as well finish by saying that I am reading two books a week now, yes, two - is this enough? For Amazon reviews - CLICK HERE  This is my next read. I received the proof from Quercus last week and seeing as this title is to be released in a couple of weeks, I thought it should be next to read. This is the author's debut novel but he did have a collection of short stories released called The Gurkha's Daughter which made him an Indian bestseller and this was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize 2013.
I will let you know my review of this book in a couple of days. For Amazon reviews of this book - CLICK HERE  The Grim Company by Luke Scull.
This was sent to me last Wednesday and as my earlier blog states, this was my first to read from those nice people at Head of Zeus. I heard good reports about the author and as the next book is due in 2014, and with Head of Zeus sending me the first book, I read it. The book starts with reference to a mighty sea battle (no spoilers), it then introduces via the few initial chapters all the key figures in the book. The main character Davarus Cole is desperate to be regarded as a hero, often going out of his way and getting into trouble so as to prove his heroism (no spoilers). This starts a chain of events which will lead to various battles and massacres. Yes, massacres. This book is no slouch in the violence department. The bad language (not that much) could limit the audience of this title as young adults should NOT read this book but, it all goes with the characters whatever bad language is used. Often funny (see Half-Mage), and often devastating in detail when describing the fighting scenes. This book also allows us to see the World created by Luke Scull which I found myself immersed into from the first chapter. For two nights I found myself awake till 2 am reading it as I needed to find out what happened next! The only problem I have now is waiting until book 2 is released so as to find out about Sasha's saviour (no spoiler) and also the situation with a few certain characters. All in all, a great debut for Luke Scull. 8 out of 10 For Amazon reviews of this title - CLICK HERE There is not much to write as I am sure most of you have finished work or are planning what you will be doing this weekend. I am halfway through the Luke Scull book 'The Grim Company'. I am enjoying it very much. Apart from updating the website with a batch of future releases, I think I will get back to this book.
Have a great weekend!  There was a knock at the door, so I opened it and the post lady gave me a package with all these goodies, all from those lovely people at Head of Zeus. Of course the top 2 are catalogues for current and future releases but I will read the 4 books at the bottom of the picture pronto; I just don't know which one to read first! Probably be The Grim Company by Luke Scull as I have heard good things about this author whilst not actually knowing he was one of Head of Zeus's! Thank you to all at Head of Zeus for a good week (or so's) worth of reading material...
I shall also give my reviews of each book. In 2012, The Red Knight was released by Gollancz and was written by a debut author named Miles Cameron who happened to live in Canada, and was not coming to the UK to promote this book. The book is a great read, one that did sell well but the publisher decided that with book 2, The Fell Sword, they announced it was to be released as a paperback only! Shock horror, this annoyed everyone until it was announced by Gollancz that only 300, yes, 300 hardbacks were being commissioned and sold as a signed numbered ltd edition. No other hardback will exist. For a Gollancz hardback to only have 300 copies and from a respected and brilliant writer such as Miles Cameron. Once word got out about this 300 edition only hardback, prices on Abebooks, eBay and Amazon of The Red Knight have soared upto the £450 mark, if you can find one that is...so, if I was you, I would snap up any copies of book 2 that you can find; these will be serious investments very soon, perhaps more so than book 1.  A novel like this only comes along every 20 or 30 years; it is both brilliant and so visionary, you have got to put this to the top of your reading list... For Amazon reviews CLICK HERE. Well, having just finished this for a third time, I can only say what a genius Peter Liney is. If I was to mention a certain author called George Orwell who wrote 1984 in 1948 but had the vision to suggest that we would live under a Big Brother state, have a National Lottery and have camera's everywhere back in 1948; it was and still is a work of genius, I am now thinking that in 30 or 40 years time, The Detainee could well become a work of genius as anyone that has a vision to 'invent' such things like Punishment Satellites (these really are something key to the storyline and totally plausible in being invented one day!) or that the Government in this story pay's unruly children a Good Behaviour Allowance to keep them in check; until said Government runs out of money due to the Stock Market crashing. The main characters Clancy, Lena, Jimmy and Delilah are so different but so much the same in them wanting to first give up yet then want to live and survive, to tell their stories, to love, to make a difference; this book has everything and more...
Totally recommended. 9.5 out of 10 Amazon reviews - Click HERE.
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