Review: Jericho by Alex Gordon

Jericho
Author:  Alex Gordon
Publisher:  Harper Voyager, April 5, 2016
Format:  Trade Paperback and eBook, 464 pages
List Price:  $14.99 (print); $10.99 (digital)
ISBN:  9780061687389 (print); 9780062102331 (digital)

In this follow-up to the masterful debut Gideon, a young witch must risk death and damnation to defeat a powerful ancient evil.

In unearthing her father’s secret past, Lauren Reardon discovered a shocking truth about herself. She is a Child of Endor, a sect of witches who believe they are the guardians of the “thin places”—areas across the globe where evil can seep through the divide between the worlds separating the living and the restless dead. At any time, she can be called upon to close one of these breaches and prevent demons from infiltrating our realm. When Lauren has a disturbing vision of an Oregon forest, she is drawn back to the familiar woods of the misty Pacific Northwest to investigate.

Locals had long whispered about an abandoned logging camp known as Jericho—of the strange disappearances and eerie sounds heard in the woods deep in the night. But these ghost stories only hint at the true evil lurking within the camp’s dilapidated buildings, a primeval malevolence far more terrifying than Lauren’s darkest imaginings. And now, Lauren must face this evil, even if it takes her life . . . even if it costs her soul.

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Google Play : iBooks : Kobo

Tracey's/Trinitwo's Point of View

The residents of Gideon, Illinois are witches who follow the teachings of the Lady of Endor. They are entrusted to guard the thin places where supernatural evil seeks to gain entrance into our world. Newcomer Lauren Reardon has been acknowledged as their most powerful practitioner since her victory over the demons that assailed the town six months earlier.

Lauren begins hearing voices beckoning her to a thin place somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. She reluctantly agrees to travel to the secluded woods of Portland Oregon to a gathering of people with similar talents sponsored by business mogul Andrew Carmody.

Upon arrival, Lauren recognizes that her host has ulterior motives for inviting her and the others to his home. Carmody's Peak is said to be cursed and at the nearby abandoned logging town of Jericho, Lauren senses an otherworldly malevolence lurking in its many shadows. As events unfold, Lauren realizes that the abandoned town of Jericho may not be as empty as she was led to believe.

Jericho, Alex Gordon's second book featuring Lauren Reardon, is fraught with tense action and page turning mystery. Due to the setting of Andrew Carmody's high powered world, Jericho has a more modern feel than its predecessor Gideon. This changes the tone of the series slightly which is worth noting because readers looking for the same type of glimpses into the past provided in Gideon may be disappointed. Unlike Gideon, Jericho and its enigmas are as much a puzzle to the protagonist as they are to the reader.

Lauren is a very sympathetic character. Although she's still reeling from the events in Gideon and the secret past her father kept hidden from his family, she continues to persevere. She is appealing because despite her flaws, she's a strong hero that is both compassionate and courageous.

Jericho weaves a web of thrills and chills that is filled with startling plot twists and nail biting action. The woods and their mysterious inhabitants are tangibly ominous, and Jericho's repugnant evil is the stuff of nightmares. However, the plot is somewhat convoluted and I was left feeling both partially disappointed that some of the mysteries remained unanswered, and partially relieved that the graphic details were not disclosed.

I enjoyed Jericho's fast pace, its strong female protagonist and its supernatural elements. Overall, Jericho is engaging and eerie and I would recommend this story to readers who delight in things that go bump in the night. Alex Gordon's series featuring Lauren Reardon is a winner. There's a new witch in town so evil beware!


Jericho can be read as a standalone but I recommend readers start with Gideon, because that's where the story really begins.

Previously

Gideon
Harper Voyager, January 6, 2015
Trade Paperback and eBook, 432 pages

Preston & Child meets Kim Harrison in this edge-of-your-seat debut thriller—a superb blend of mystery, urban fantasy, horror, romance, and the supernatural.

When Lauren’s father dies, she makes a shocking discovery. The man she knew as John Reardon was once a completely different person, with a different name. Now, she’s determined to find out who he really was, even though her only clues are an old photograph, some letters, and the name of a town—Gideon.

But someone—or something—doesn’t want her to discover the truth. A strange man is stalking her, appearing everywhere she turns, and those who try to help her end up dead. Neither a shadowy enemy nor her own fear are going to prevent her from solving the mystery of her father—and unlocking the secrets of her own life.

Making her way to Gideon, Lauren finds herself more confused than ever. Nothing in this small Midwestern town is what it seems, including time itself. Residents start going missing, and Lauren is threatened by almost every townsperson she encounters. Two hundred years ago, a witch was burned at the stake, but in Gideon, the past feels all too chillingly present . . .

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound
Google Play : iBooks : Kobo

See Tracey's Review here.

The View From Monday - April 4, 2016

Happy first Monday in April!  There are 2 debuts this week:

Arena (Arena 1) by Holly Jennings;

and

Artificial (The Kepler Chronicles 1) by Jadah McCoy.

Click on each cover to go to Amazon.


From formerly featured Debut Author Challenge Authors:

Click on the each cover to go Amazon.

Jericho by Alex Gordon;

Spira Mirabilis (The Wave Trilogy 3) by Aidan Harte;

Burned (An Alex Verus Novel 7) by Benedict Jacka;

Lost Among the Living by Simone St. James;

Trident's Forge (Children of a Dead Earth 2) by Patrick S. Tomlinson;

and

There Will Always Be a Max: A Tor.com Original (Genrenauts) by Michael R. Underwood.

April 4, 2016

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Werewolf Cop (h2tp)	Andrew Klavan	Occ/Sup/Th
Artificial (D)	Jadah McCoy	CyberP/SFR - The Kepler Chronicles 1

April 5, 2016

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Breach of Crust	Ellery Adams	PM - A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery 5
Asteroid Made of Dragons	G. Derek Adams	SF/Hu
The Plague Dogs (ri)	Richard Adams	LF
Clockwork Phoenix 5	Mike Allen (Ed)	Anthology - F
Eva Luna (ri)	Isabel Allende	LF/MR
The Stories of Eva Luna	Isabel Allende	LF/MR
Surviving Home (tp2mm)	A. American	Dys - Survivalist 2
Blood of the Cosmos (h2mm)	Kevin J. Anderson	SF/SO -Saga of Shadows 2
White Tiger	Jennifer Ashley	Shifter's Unbound 8
Tales of the Time Scouts 2	Robert Asprin Linda Evans	SF
The Water Knife (h2tp)	Paolo Bacigalupi	LF/AP/PA/Th/Tech
The Broken Hours: A Novel of H. P. Lovecraft	Jacqueline Baker	SF
Ultima (h2mm)	Stephen Baxter	SF/AC - Proxima 2
Underwater Fistfight	Matt Betts	SF/H
In the Labyrinth of Drakes: A Memoir by Lady Trent	Marie Brennan	F - A Natural History of Dragons 4
Blazing Earth	Terri Brisbin	FR - A Novel of the Stone Circles 3
Mirror Sight (tp2mm)	Kristen Britain	DF - Green Rider 5
Fellside	M. R. Carey	Th/Sup
I Dream of Dragons	Ashlyn Chase	PNR - Boston Dragons 1
Visitor	C. J. Cherryh	SF/SO/AC - Foreigner 17
Tracker (h2mm)	C. J. Cherryh	SF/SO/AC - Foreigner 16
Dominion	John Connolly Jennifer Ridyard	SF - The Chronicles of the Invaders 3
Timeless Desire (ri)	Gwyn Cready	TTR
Flirting with Forever (ri)	Gwyn Cready	TTR
Of Treasons Born	J. L. Doty	SF/SO - Treasons Cycle
An Unhappy Medium	Dawn Eastman	PM - A Family Fortune Mystery 4
Wicked Charms (h2mm)	Janet Evanovich Phoef Sutton	PM - A Lizzy and Diesel Novel 3
The Mountain (h2mm)	David L. Golemon	SF/Th - Event Group Thrillers 10
Jericho	Alex Gordon	CF
Smoke and Fire	Donna Grant	PNR - Dark Kings 9
Smoke and Fire: Part 4 (e)	Donna Grant	PNR - Dark Kings
Spira Mirabilis	Aidan Harte	F - The Wave Trilogy 3
Her Werewolf Hero	Michele Hauf	PNR
The Pitchfork of Destiny (e)	Jack Heckel	FairyT/FolkT/ LM - Charming Tales 2
Shadow Rites	Faith Hunter	UF - Jane Yellowrock 10
Burned	Benedict Jacka	UF - An Alex Verus Novel 7
Lost Among the Living	Simone St. James	Hist/GO/GH
Arena (D)	Holly Jennings	SF/Dys/SFR - Arena 1
Dragonbane (h2mm)	Sherrilyn Kenyon	FR - Dark-Hunter Novels 19
Silence	Mercedes Lackey Cody Martin	SF/UF - Serrated Edge 9
Septimania	Jonathan Levi	MR
Replica (e)	Shannon Mayer Denise Grover Swank	H - Blood Borne 2
Down to Zero (e)	Jon McGoran	Th - Carrick & Watkins Short Story
Every Heart a Doorway	Seanan McGuire	CF
Pathfinder Tales: Hellknight	Liane Merciel	F - Pathfinder Tales 32
Blood Sacrifices	Brian Moreland	H - Collection
The War Against the Assholes (h2tp)	Sam Munson	CF
Trial of Intentions (h2mm)	Peter Orullian	F - Vault of Heaven 2
Sever	Brian Parker	H/PA - Washington, Dead City 3
The Kasari Nexus	Richard Phillips	SF - Rho Agenda Assimilation 1
The Worm Returns	J.R. Rain Piers Anthony	F/W
Kharn: Eater of Worlds	Anthony Reynolds	SF - Space Marines
Zero State	Cam Rogers	SF - Quantum Break 1
Maestro	R. A. Salvatore	F - Homecoming 2
Total War: Lord of Chaos	Rob Sanders	F - Warhammer
Alight	Scott Sigler	SF - The Generations Trilogy 2
The Demonists	Thomas E. Sniegoski	UF/DF - Demonists 1
Shooting the Rift	Alex Stewart	SF/SO
Alien Hunter: The White House: A Flynn Carroll Thriller	Whitley Strieber	Th - Alien Hunter Series 3
Spiral	Koji Suzuki	H/SupTh - Ring Trilogy
Immortal Redeemed	Linda Thomas-Sundstrom	PNR
Doom of the Elves: The Curse of Khaine / Deathblade	Gav Thorpe C L Werner	SF - The End Times 2
The Story of Kullervo	J.R.R. Tolkien	F
Trident's Forge	Patrick S. Tomlinson	SF/SO - Children of a Dead Earth 2
Almost Dark	Letitia Trent	UF
Persona (h2tp)	Genevieve Valentine	SF - Persona Sequence1
Wolf on a Mission	N. J. Walters
The Beast	J.R. Ward	PNR - Black Dagger Brotherhood 14
The Edge of Worlds	Martha Wells	F - A Novel of the Raksura 4
A Lovely Way to Burn	Louise Welsh	M - Plague Times Trilogy 1
Dead Letters Anthology	Conrad Williams (Ed)	H - Anthology
Total War: The Emperor's Armies	Chris Wraight	F - Warhammer

April 6, 2016

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Freedom is Space for the Spirit: A Tor.Com Original (e)	Glen Hirshberg	UF
There Will Always Be a Max: A Tor.com Original (e)	Michael R. Underwood	SF/PA - Genrenauts

April 7, 2016

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Women of Ice and Fire: Gender, Game of Thrones and Multiple Media Engagements	Rikke Schubart (Ed)	HC

D - Debut
e - eBook
Ed - editor
h2mm - Hardcover to Mass Market Paperback
h2tp - Hardcover to Trade Paperback
tp2mm - Trade to Mass Market Paperback
ri - reissue or reprint


AC - Alien Contact
AH - Alternate History
AP - Apocalyptic
CF - Contemporary Fantasy
CyberP - Cyberpunk
DF - Dark Fantasy
Dys - Dystopian
F - Fantasy
FairyT - Fairy Tale
FolkT - Folk Tale
FR - Fantasy Romance
GB - Genre Bender
GH - Ghost
GO - Gothic
H - Horror
HC - History and Criticism
Hist - Historical
HistF - Historical Fantasy
HistM - Historical Mystery
Hu - Humor
LF - Literary Fiction
LM - Legends and Mythology
M - Mystery
MR - Magical Realism
Occ - Occult
PA - Post Apocalyptic
Phil - Philosophy
PM - Paranormal Mystery
PNR - Paranormal Romance
R - Romance
SF - Science Fiction
SFR - Science Fiction Romance
SH - Superheroes
SO - Space Opera
Sup - Supernatural
SupTh - Supernatural Thriller
Sus - Suspense
Tech - Technological
TechnoTh - Technological Thriller
Th - Thriller
TT - Time Travel
TTR - Time Travel Romance
UF - Urban Fantasy
W - Western

Review: Gideon by Alex Gordon

Gideon
Author:  Alex Gordon
Publisher:  Harper Voyager, January 6, 2015
Format:  Trade Paperback and eBook, 432 pages
List Price:  $14.99 (print); $7.99 (eBook)
ISBN:  9780061687372 (print); 9780062091765 (eBook)

Preston & Child meets Kim Harrison in this edge-of-your-seat debut thriller—a superb blend of mystery, urban fantasy, horror, romance, and the supernatural.

When Lauren’s father dies, she makes a shocking discovery. The man she knew as John Reardon was once a completely different person, with a different name. Now, she’s determined to find out who he really was, even though her only clues are an old photograph, some letters, and the name of a town—Gideon.

But someone—or something—doesn’t want her to discover the truth. A strange man is stalking her, appearing everywhere she turns, and those who try to help her end up dead. Neither a shadowy enemy nor her own fear are going to prevent her from solving the mystery of her father—and unlocking the secrets of her own life.

Making her way to Gideon, Lauren finds herself more confused than ever. Nothing in this small Midwestern town is what it seems, including time itself. Residents start going missing, and Lauren is threatened by almost every townsperson she encounters. Two hundred years ago, a witch was burned at the stake, but in Gideon, the past feels all too chillingly present . . .

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound
Google Play : iBooks : Kobo

Trinitytwo's Point of View

December 20, 1836 began abnormally warm. It was the day murderer Nicholas Blaine was to be judged at the stake. The Council had decided against hanging, saying he should suffer like the innocent girl he so callously killed. Blaine was more than a cold-blooded killer, he was also a wielder of potent magic. Gideon's residents had power of their own; they are children of Endor, adhering to the word of the Lady. Their duty lies in guarding the "thin places" from the demons who seek to cross the borders of the "wilderness" where they are damned to wander for eternity.

A lethal and unnatural freeze follows hard on the heels of Blaine's death and the ice storm kills the men of Gideon right where they stand. The women and children, who wait in security two miles away, are grief-stricken by their losses. All the while, Blaine's soul awaits the spell from his accomplice that will bring him back more powerful than he was before. Eliza, despite the mistrust of the community, is able to thwart the plot, binding Blaine with a spell of her own to the underground chamber where he has been laid to rest. As the years pass, Blaine's malevolent spirit hungrily waits and the people of Gideon conveniently forget the evil lingering in their vaults.

In the here and now, Lauren Reardon mourns the death of her beloved father, John. While going through her father's personal effects, she finds a small leather bound book called The Book of Endor. Printed inside is the name Matthew James Mullin and a location, Gideon Illinois. Curious, she scans the book's pages and finds a newspaper clipping wedged inside with a photo of teenaged Matthew Mullin. Lauren is shocked to discover her father and Mullin are one and the same.

Desperate to uncover the secrets of her father's hidden past, Lauren goes to Gideon for answers. But Gideon is falling into disrepair and the grudges of its people have not been forgotten. Being an outsider and a Mullin puts Lauren in danger. She senses the palpable enmity of its occupants and the malignant spirit who has become impatient to be freed.

Gideon is appealing on many levels. The author took actual tragic historical events such as Chicago's "Sudden Freeze" of 1836 and the subsequent "Great Fire" in 1871 and intertwined them to provide a gripping and realistic background. The eerie tone of the town's growing despair and impending doom paired with the author's descriptions of the "in between" places was frightful.

Lauren is a terrific heroine. She's smart and strong and when things start to go bad, she's bold enough to face the supernatural challenges head on. The supporting cast of characters were also well-written and some of them definitely had me fooled. In Gideon, I was never sure which members of the Society of Endor were working for good and which had sided with evil. This uncertainty ratcheted up the tension levels and made for some exciting and unexpected twists and turns to the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed the sojourn into Gideon's past and rooted for both Eliza and Lauren as they fought their monsters; both human and demonic. Gordon artfully spreads Nicholas Blaine's malignant presence slowly, like a disease whose evil taints the town and the souls that live there. Alex Gordon's Gideon is a delightfully dark tale that kept me under its spell from start to finish.

Upcoming

Jericho
Harper Voyager, April 5, 2016
Trade Paperback and eBook, 464 pages

In this follow-up to the masterful debut Gideon, a young witch must risk death and damnation to defeat a powerful ancient evil.

In unearthing her father’s secret past, Lauren Reardon discovered a shocking truth about herself. She is a Child of Endor, a sect of witches who believe they are the guardians of the “thin places”—areas across the globe where evil can seep through the divide between the worlds separating the living and the restless dead. At any time, she can be called upon to close one of these breaches and prevent demons from infiltrating our realm. When Lauren has a disturbing vision of an Oregon forest, she is drawn back to the familiar woods of the misty Pacific Northwest to investigate.

Locals had long whispered about an abandoned logging camp known as Jericho—of the strange disappearances and eerie sounds heard in the woods deep in the night. But these ghost stories only hint at the true evil lurking within the camp’s dilapidated buildings, a primeval malevolence far more terrifying than Lauren’s darkest imaginings. And now, Lauren must face this evil, even if it takes her life . . . even if it costs her soul.

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Google Play : iBooks : Kobo

What's Up for the Debut Author Challenge Authors? - Part 35

This is the thirty-fifth in a series of updates about formerly featured Debut Author Challenge authors and their 2015 works published since the last update and any upcoming works for 2016. The year in parentheses after the author's name is the year she/he was featured in the Debut Author Challenge.

Part 1 here	Part 11 here	Part 21 here	Part 31 here
Part 2 here	Part 12 here	Part 22 here	Part 32 here
Part 3 here	Part 13 here	Part 23 here	Part 33 here
Part 4 here	Part 14 here	Part 24 here	Part 34 here
Part 5 here	Part 15 here	Part 25 here
Part 6 here	Part 16 here	Part 26 here
Part 7 here	Part 17 here	Part 27 here
Part 8 here	Part 18 here	Part 28 here
Part 9 here	Part 19 here	Part 29 here
Part 10 here	Part 20 here	Part 30 here

Alex Gordon (2015)

Jericho
Harper Voyager, April 5, 2016
Trade Paperback and eBook, 464 pages

In this follow-up to the masterful debut Gideon, a young witch must risk death and damnation to defeat a powerful ancient evil.

In unearthing her father’s secret past, Lauren Reardon discovered a shocking truth about herself. She is a Child of Endor, a sect of witches who believe they are the guardians of the “thin places”—areas across the globe where evil can seep through the divide between the worlds separating the living and the restless dead. At any time, she can be called upon to close one of these breaches and prevent demons from infiltrating our realm. When Lauren has a disturbing vision of an Oregon forest, she is drawn back to the familiar woods of the misty Pacific Northwest to investigate.

Locals had long whispered about an abandoned logging camp known as Jericho—of the strange disappearances and eerie sounds heard in the woods deep in the night. But these ghost stories only hint at the true evil lurking within the camp’s dilapidated buildings, a primeval malevolence far more terrifying than Lauren’s darkest imaginings. And now, Lauren must face this evil, even if it takes her life . . . even if it costs her soul.

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Google Play : iBooks : Kobo

Ken Liu (2015)

The Grace of Kings
The Dandelion Dynasty 1
Saga Press, August 9, 2016
Mass Market Paperback, 656 pages
Trade Paperback, August 9, 2016
Hardcover and eBook, April 7, 2015

Two men rebel together against tyranny—and then become rivals—in this first sweeping book of an epic fantasy series from Ken Liu, recipient of Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards. “A magnificent fantasy epic” (NPR).

Wily, charming Kuni Garu, a bandit, and stern, fearless Mata Zyndu, the son of a deposed duke, seem like polar opposites. Yet, in the uprising against the emperor, the two quickly become the best of friends after a series of adventures fighting against vast conscripted armies, silk-draped airships, and shapeshifting gods. Once the emperor has been overthrown, however, they each find themselves the leader of separate factions—two sides with very different ideas about how the world should be run and the meaning of justice.

Fans of intrigue, intimate plots, and fast-paced action will find a new series to embrace in the Dandelion Dynasty.

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Google Play : iBooks : Kobo

The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories
Saga Press, March 8, 2016
Hardcover and eBook, 464 pages
Trade Paperback, August 23, 2016

A publishing event: Bestselling author Ken Liu selects his award-winning science fiction and fantasy tales for a groundbreaking collection—including a brand-new piece exclusive to this volume.

With his debut novel, The Grace of Kings, taking the literary world by storm, Ken Liu now shares his finest short fiction in The Paper Menagerie. This mesmerizing collection features all of Ken’s award-winning and award-finalist stories, including: “The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary” (Finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, and Theodore Sturgeon Awards), “Mono No Aware” (Hugo Award winner), “The Waves” (Nebula Award finalist), “The Bookmaking Habits of Select Species” (Nebula and Sturgeon award finalists), “All the Flavors” (Nebula award finalist), “The Litigation Master and the Monkey King” (Nebula Award finalist), and the most awarded story in the genre’s history, “The Paper Menagerie” (The only story to win the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards).

A must-have for every science fiction and fantasy fan, this beautiful book is an anthology to savor.

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Google Play : iBooks : Kobo

Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation
Edited and Translated by Ken Liu
Tor Books, November 1, 2016
Hardcover and eBook, 288 pages

[description not yet available]

Amazon : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Note:  The Wall of Storms (The Dandelion Dynasty 2) will be published in Fall 2016.

Michael Livingston (2015)

The Shards of Heaven
The Shards of Heaven 1
Tor Books, October 25, 2016
Trade Paperback, 432 pages
Hardcover and eBook, November 24, 2015

Julius Caesar is dead, assassinated on the senate floor, and the glory that is Rome has been torn in two. Octavian, Caesar's ambitious great-nephew and adopted son, vies with Marc Antony and Cleopatra for control of Caesar's legacy. As civil war rages from Rome to Alexandria, and vast armies and navies battle for supremacy, a secret conflict may shape the course of history.

Juba, Numidian prince and adopted brother of Octavian, has embarked on a ruthless quest for the Shards of Heaven, lost treasures said to possess the very power of the gods-or the one God. Driven by vengeance, Juba has already attained the fabled Trident of Poseidon, which may also be the staff once wielded by Moses. Now he will stop at nothing to obtain the other Shards, even if it means burning the entire world to the ground.

Caught up in these cataclysmic events, and the hunt for the Shards, are a pair of exiled Roman legionnaires, a Greek librarian of uncertain loyalties, assassins, spies, slaves . . . and the ten-year-old daughter of Cleopatra herself.

Michael Livingston's The Shards of Heaven reveals the hidden magic behind the history we know, and commences a war greater than any mere mortal battle.

[description from Hardcover edition]

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Google Play : iBooks : Kobo

The Gates of Hell
The Shards of Heaven 2
Tor Books, November 15, 2016
Hardcover and eBook, 400 pages

[description not yet available]

Amazon : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Marshall Ryan Maresca (2015)

A Murder of Mages
The Maradaine Constabulary 1
DAW, July 7, 2015 Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 352 pages

A Murder of Mages marks the debut of Marshall Ryan Maresca’s novels of The Maradaine Constabulary, his second series set amid the bustling streets and crime-ridden districts of the exotic city called Maradaine. A Murder of Mages introduces us to this spellbinding port city as seen through the eyes of the people who strive to maintain law and order, the hardworking men and women of the Maradaine Constabulary.

Satrine Rainey—former street rat, ex-spy, mother of two, and wife to a Constabulary Inspector who lies on the edge of death, injured in the line of duty—has been forced to fake her way into the post of Constabulary Inspector to support her family.

Minox Welling is a brilliant, unorthodox Inspector and an Uncircled mage—almost a crime in itself. Nicknamed “the jinx” because of the misfortunes that seem to befall anyone around him, Minox has been partnered with Satrine because no one else will work with either of them.

Their first case together—the ritual murder of a Circled mage— sends Satrine back to the streets she grew up on and brings Minox face-to-face with mage politics he’s desperate to avoid. As the body count rises, Satrine and Minox must race to catch the killer before their own secrets are exposed and they, too, become targets.

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Google Play : iBooks : Kobo

The Alchemy of Chaos
A Novel of Maradaine 2
DAW, February 2, 2016
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 400 pages

Veranix Calbert is The Thorn—the street vigilante-turned-legend—and a danger to Willem Fenmere, the drug kingpin of Dentonhill. Veranix is determined to stop Fenmere and the effitte drug trade, especially when he discovers that Fenmere is planning on using the Red Rabbits gang in his neighborhood. But Veranix is also a magic student at the University of Maradaine, and it’s exam week. With his academic career riding on his performance, there’s no time to go after Fenmere or the Red Rabbits. But when a series of pranks on campus grow deadly, it’s clear that someone has a vendetta against the university, and Veranix may be the only one who can stop them…

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Google Play : iBooks : Kobo

Susan Murray (2015)

Waterborne Exile
Waterborne 2
Angry Robot Books, August 4, 2015
       (North America Print and eBook)
  August 6, 2015 (UK Print)
Mass Market Paperback and eBook, 432 pages

A nameless priestess will stop at nothing to get revenge on the killers of her lover.

In a world of turmoil, following the king’s death, the traitor Vasic is struggling to secure his rule over the combined Peninsular Kingdoms whilst the exiled queen, Alwenna, has taken refuge with a freemerchant community whose elders fear her dark power.

Mistrust rules the day with bribery, drugs, trafficking of children, and murder rife throughout the kingdom.

As the priestess’ plot for revenge continues, Alwenna leaves to seek the outcast group of loyal kinsman. Marten attempts to restore Alwenna to the throne but as the priestess closes in, will he succeed?

File Under: Fantasy [ Unholy Office / Blood Ties / Dark Visions / Betrayals & Betrothals ]

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

Google Play : iBooks : Kobo

Interview with Alex Gordon, author of Gideon - Janaury 15, 2015

Please welcome Alex Gordon to The Qwillery as part of the 2015 Debut Author Challenge Interviews! Gideon was published by Harper Voyager on January 6, 2015.

TQ:  Welcome to The Qwillery. When and why did you start writing?

Alex:  Thank you for having me!

English was my best subject in grade school and high school, and teachers always complimented my essays and reports. I wrote a few stories, but they were class assignments. Unlike so many other writers, I didn’t write outside school--I wrote a few pages of an SF novel while in college, but that fizzled. Fast forward to the early 90’s, when I was in my early 30’s. I don’t recall any particular flash of inspiration. I simply decided to take a creative writing course of some sort. All my friends were returning to school for their MBAs. A writing class was going to be my MBA. From there, I went on attend writers conferences and science fiction-fantasy conventions, and kept plugging away.



TQ:  Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Alex:  I would say 75% pantser/25% plotter. I can follow a vague outline that I set out beforehand in a short synopsis or on an index card, and I know the ending. But the twists and turns of the plot and the actions of my characters don’t sort themselves out until I actually write the scenes. Too many times, something that makes complete sense in the planning fails to work out on the page. It’s frustrating. There are times when I envy plotters. I have yet to make a lasting peace with my process.



TQ:  What is the most challenging thing for you about writing?

Alex:  Focusing. I am so distractable. Wow—look at that smudge on the window. I really need to clean it NOW. And heaven forbid I look at a bookshelf. I have to page through at least one book I haven’t touched in years.



TQ:  Who are some of your literary influences? Favorite authors?

Alex:  John Le Carré. Two of his books in particular, the classics TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY and SMILEY'S PEOPLE. He described spycraft and the people who practiced it better than anyone else I've read. Then the world changed, the Cold War ended, and he retooled, stayed fresh, found new adversaries--arms dealers, pharmaceutical companies.

Terry Pratchett, the author of the Discworld books, can define a character with a single thought or action. He manages to sneak the sadness and poignancy into humorous stories, and to say so many things without lapsing into lecture mode. He is also the creator or co-creator of two of my literary crushes, The Patrician from the Discworld series and Crowley, from GOOD OMENS.

Gillian Flynn—I envy her ability to make unlikeable, troubled, troubling characters compelling. I enjoyed GONE GIRL, but SHARP OBJECTS is, I think, an even more profound example. Camille Preaker—I wanted to take her by the shoulders and shake her, protect her, and run and hide from her all at the same time.



TQ:  Describe Gideon in 140 characters or less.

Alex:  I’ll use a line from the book: "just because you don’t know your past doesn’t mean you don’t pay the price for it.”



TQ:  Tell us something about Gideon that is not in the book description.

Alex:  The story describes the very first stages of the entrance of the otherworldly into this world, and vice versa. In a way, it’s a First Contact story. Even though we have told tales of ghosts and demons and other non-human entities for thousands of years, and many people believe in their existence, these are individual, personal experiences, not the event that leads to the first faltering steps toward formal rapprochement.



TQ:  What inspired you to write Gideon? Your publisher describes the novel as "...a superb blend of mystery, urban fantasy, horror, romance, and the supernatural." What appealed to you about writing a genre bending novel?

Alex:  I initially intended GIDEON as straight urban fantasy, with a heroine on the run from demons and the humans who thought they could control them. But I opened with the chapters that took place in 1836, and my editor at the time didn’t feel that the heroine on the run part worked as well as those chapters did. After a lot of trial and error, I finally, finally realized that the main story was very personal—a woman finding out about her father, learning that he wasn’t what she thought he was. Combine that with the history of witches, and the genre mix—the elements of mystery, horror, romance, etc--evolved as the story developed. I didn’t have to purposely add anything. All the elements made organic sense. They were necessary aspects of the story.



TQ:  What sort of research did you do for Gideon ?

Alex:  Lots of historical research—details about the Sudden Freeze of 1836, the Chicago Fire, the Civil War. Many thanks to all the local historical societies and groups that post historical documents online—I don’t know how I would have found some of the personal accounts of the Freeze and the Fire without them. I also researched clothing of the 1830s and 1870s. I drove around the area of north central Illinois in which I set Gideon, and imagined the layout of the town, the description of the surrounding area.

I took several REI classes—kayaking, camping, outdoor survival, first aid. Lauren Reardon is a woman comfortable with the outdoors—there are things she would know and do as a matter of course. She is the type of person who carries a go-pack with first aid equipment, flints and blankets and other emergency gear in her car. She prefers to wear technical clothing. She adapts quickly. It’s funny, admitting that my fictional character knows so much more about a subject than I do, that I had to take classes in order to keep up.

I read about the Pseudepigrapha, ancient writings that are attributed to authors who really didn't write them. I was particularly interested in the Testament of Solomon, which was supposedly written by him and contained information that allowed him to control demons. I used that information to develop the Book of Endor, the guiding text of the witches of Gideon.

Some research I did went into scenes that wound up getting cut or rewritten. CPR. Google street routes through Seattle. Woodworking tools.



TQ:  Who was the easiest character to write and why? The hardest and why?

Alex:  Eliza Blaylock Mullin was surprisingly simple. She had Blaine figured out from the start, and she had a single goal—keep him from coming back from the dead. She was a very focused character.

The hardest character was my protagonist, Lauren Reardon. As I discussed above, I had a devil of a time figuring out who exactly she was and what her story was. Then I had to figure out how much she knew, how much she discovered along the way. How much did she know about her own magical abilities? Working out all the reasons for her to move forward, her transition from businesswoman to practitioner and guardian without letting it appear forced, too convenient—it was a struggle at times, a challenge always.



TQ:  Which question about your novel do you wish someone would ask? Ask it and answer it!

Alex:  Is “The Laird o’ Windywa's,” the bawdy ballad that turns up throughout the book, a real song? Yes! It’s been recorded by a Scottish folksinger named Jeannie Robertson. If I ever give a reading of the first chapter, I’m going to have to sing it. Fear this moment.



TQ:  Give us one or two of your favorite non-spoilery lines from Gideon.

Alex:

“Disappointment made her sound kind.” Because I think I managed to nail this person’s character in five words.


"Gideon stood wrapped in silence, a doll’s town swaddled in cotton and packed away.” The description of Gideon after the Freeze and subsequent snowstorm.



TQ:  What's next?

Alex:  I am working on JERICHO, which is the follow-up to GIDEON. Lauren Reardon is still the protagonist and primary POV.

In JERICHO, the stakes are much greater. In GIDEON, I drop hints that magical influence stretches well beyond one small town in Illinois, that there are other ’thin places’ that may not be as well-guarded as they need to be. In JERICHO, Lauren is going to learn just how pervasive that magical influence is, as well as who else is interested in that power. The world as it exists is very, very different from the one she’s familiar with. Her hero’s journey continues.



TQ:  Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.

Alex:  Thank you.

Gideon
Harper Voyager, January 6, 2015
Trade Paperback and eBook, 432 pages

Preston & Child meets Kim Harrison in this edge-of-your-seat debut thriller—a superb blend of mystery, urban fantasy, horror, romance, and the supernatural.

When Lauren’s father dies, she makes a shocking discovery. The man she knew as John Reardon was once a completely different person, with a different name. Now, she’s determined to find out who he really was, even though her only clues are an old photograph, some letters, and the name of a town—Gideon.

But someone—or something—doesn’t want her to discover the truth. A strange man is stalking her, appearing everywhere she turns, and those who try to help her end up dead. Neither a shadowy enemy nor her own fear are going to prevent her from solving the mystery of her father—and unlocking the secrets of her own life.

Making her way to Gideon, Lauren finds herself more confused than ever. Nothing in this small Midwestern town is what it seems, including time itself. Residents start going missing, and Lauren is threatened by almost every townsperson she encounters. Two hundred years ago, a witch was burned at the stake, but in Gideon, the past feels all too chillingly present . . .

Amazon : Barnes and Noble : Book Depository : Books-A-Million : IndieBound

About Alex

Photo by Libby Bulloff

Alex Gordon resides in Illinois. She is currently developing her next thriller and is having too much fun doing research. When she isn't working, she enjoys watching sports and old movies, running, and playing with her dog. She dreams of someday adding the Pacific Northwest to the list of regions where she has lived.






Website  ~   Twitter @alexgordon36

2015 Debut Author Challenge Cover Wars - January Debuts

Each month you will be able to vote for your favorite cover from that month's debut novels. At the end of the year the 12 monthly winners will be pitted against each other to choose the 2015 Debut Novel Cover of the Year. Please note that a debut novel cover is eligible in the month in which the novel is released in the US. Cover artist/illustrator information is provided when we have it.

I'm using PollCode for this vote. After you the check the circle next to your favorite, click "Vote" to record your vote. If you'd like to see the real-time results click "View". This will take you to the PollCode site where you may see the results. If you want to come back to The Qwillery click "Back" and you will return to this page. Voting will end sometime on January 24, 2015.

Vote for your favorite January 2015 Debut Cover

Unbreakable

The Dead Wife's Handbook

Owl and the Japanese Circus

Wolf Winter

Gideon

The Mussorgksky Riddle

The Magician's Lie

Half-Resurrection Blues

Morte(e)

Twenty Trillion Leagues Under the Sea

Fatal Feast

Perdita

The Sasquatch Hunter's Almanac

Wildalone

 

pollcode.com free polls

The View From Monday - January 5, 2015

Happy New Year! Another wonderful reading year is ahead of all of us. This is a very full release week with 4 debuts:

The Dead Wife's Handbook by Hannah Beckerman;

Gideon by Alex Gordon;

Half-Resurrection Blues (Bone Street Rumba 1) by Daniel José Older;

and

Wildalone by Krassi Zourkova.


From formerly featured Debut Author Challenge Authors:

Foxglove Summer (Rivers of London / Peter Grant 5) by Ben Aaronovitch;

Golden Son (Red Rising Trilogy 2) by Pierce Brown;

California Bones (California Bones 1)by Greg van Eekhout is out in Trade Paperback;

Blood Will Follow (Valhalla Saga 2) by Snorri Kristijansson;

Evensong by John Love;

Return to Honor (Powder Mage) Brian McClellan;

and

Soul Ink (Grimm Agency 1.5) by J. C. Nelson.

January 1, 2015

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Blood Wolf Dawning (e)	Rhyannon Byrd	PNR - Bloodrunners
Harlequin Nocturne January 2015 Box Set: Blood Wolf Dawning\Shades of the Wolf	Rhyannon Byrd	PNR
A Wizard of Their Age: Critical Essays from the Harry Potter Generation	Cecilia Konchar Farr	LC
Marked	Sarah Fine	UF - Servants of Fate 1
The Rats (ri)	James Herbert	H - Rats 1
The Last Passenger	Manel Loureiro	SF/TT
Night After Night	Phil Rickman	H
A Trail Through Time	Jodi Taylor	SF/TT -  Chronicles of St. Mary's 4
War Master's Gate	Adrian Tchaikovsky	SF - Shadows of the Apt 9
Shades of the Wolf	Karen Whiddon	PNR

January 5, 2015

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The Colbana Files Boxed Set (e)	J.C. Daniels	UF

January 6, 2015

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Foxglove Summer	Ben Aaronovitch	UF - Rivers of London / Peter Grant 5
Wolves' Bane (e)	Angela Addams	PNR - Order of the Wolf 3
Death Mask	Alex Archer	UF - Rogue Angel 52
The Technician (ri)	Neal Asher	SF - Polity
Some of the Best from Tor.com: 2014: A Tor.Com Original (e)	Various Authors	SF/F/UF
Hive Invasion	James Axler	SF - Deathlands 120
Agenda 21: Into the Shadows	Glenn Beck	PA - Agenda 21 #2
The Dead Wife's Handbook (D - US)	Hannah Beckerman	LF/F
The Witches of Echo Park	Amber Benson	UF -  Witches of Echo Park 1
A Seamless Murder	Melissa Bourbon	PM - Magical Dressmaking 6
Golden Son	Pierce Brown	SF -  Red Rising Trilogy 2
Drifters	John L. Campbell	H/Z - Omega Days 3
A Case of Possession	KJ Charles	PNR - A Charm of Magpies 2
A Case of Spirits (e)	KJ Charles	PNR - A Charm of Magpies 2.5
Spell Blind	David B. Coe	UF - Case Files of Justis Fearsson 1
Sunglasses After Dark: Full Blooded Collection	Nancy Collins	GN
In Hot Water	J. J. Cook	PM - A Sweet Pepper Fire Brigade 3
Daierwolves of Paris - Lou	Roxane Dambre	F/R - Daierwolves of Paris1
Pandorax	C Z Dunn	SF - Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine Battles 15
California Bones (h2tp)	Greg van Eekhout	DF - California Bones 1
Diaspora (ri)	Greg Egan	SF
Distress (ri)	Greg Egan	SF
Dreamwalker (h2mm)	C.S. Friedman	UF - Dreamwalker 1
Return to Exile	Lynne Gentry	Hist/TT - The Carthage Chronicles 2
Gideon (D)	Alex Gordon	F/P
Tales from the Nightside	Simon R. Green	UF - Nightside Short Stories
Iron Axe	Steven Harper	F - The Books of Blood and Iron 1
First and Last Sorcerer	Barb Hendee	F - Noble Dead 10
A Wind in the Night (h2mm)	Barb Hendee	F - Noble Dead 9=
Unbound	Jim C. Hines	UF - Magic Ex Libris 3
Unbound: A Novella	Sara Humphreys	PNR - Amoveo Legend
Ghost in the Guacamole	Sue Ann Jaffarian	PM - Ghost of Granny Apples 5
Dreamwalker	Russell James	H
The Nightmare Girl (e)	Jonathan Janz	H
The String Diaries (h2tp)	Stephen Lloyd Jones	Su/H
Mr. Mercedes (h2tp)	Stephen King	Th/Su
Demon Seed (ri)	Dean Koontz	Th/H
Blood Will Follow	Snorri Kristijansson	F - Valhalla Saga 2
Dreamer's Daughter	Lynn Kurland	F - Nine Kingdoms 3
No Ghouls Allowed: A Ghost Hunter Mystery	Victoria Laurie	PM - Ghost Hunter Mystery  9
The Bright Empires Collection: The Skin Map, The Bone House, The Spirit Well, The Shadow Lamp, The Fatal Tree (e)	Stephen R. Lawhead	F - Bright Empires
Carousel Seas	Sharon Lee	F - Archers Beach 3
The Galaxy Game	Karen Lord	SF
Evensong	John Love	SF
Return to Honor (e)	Brian McClellan	F - Powder Mage
The Winter People (h2tp)	Jennifer McMahon	Th/Gh
Slavers of the Savage Catacombs	Jon F Merz	F - Shadow Warrior 2
The Dragon in the Sword	Michael Moorcock	F - Eternal Champion Sequence 3
Soul Ink (e)	J. C. Nelson	UF - Grimm Agency Novella
Orphan Brigade (e)	Henry V. O'Neil	SF - Sim War 2
Half-Resurrection Blues (D)	Daniel José Older	UF - Bone Street Rumba 1
Dead Wrong	Richard Phillips	Esp - Rho Agenda 2
Murder	Sarah Pinborough	H - Dr. Thomas Bond / Mayhem 2
Mayhem (h2tp)	Sarah Pinborough	H - Dr. Thomas Bond / Mayhem 1
The Flight of the Silvers (h2tp)	Daniel Price	SF/PA/Ap - Silvers 1
The Stargods Trilogy	Irene Radford	SF
Strands of Sorrow	John Ringo	SF - Black Tide Rising 4
Island of the Forbidden (e)	Hunter Shea	H
Originator	Joel Shepherd	SF - Cassandra Kresnov 6
The Light and the Dark (h2tp)	Mikhail Shishkin	LF/F/TT
The Guard	Peter Terrin	Dys/SF
Hungry Like the Wolf	Paige Tyler	PNR - SWAT 1
Fire Water: A Prospero's War Novella (e)	Jaye Wells	UF - Prospero's War
The Judge of Ages (h2tp)	John C. Wright	SF - Count to a Trillion 3
Wildalone (D)	Krassi Zourkova	Oc/Su

January 7, 2015

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
Kia and Gio: A Tor.Com Original (e)	Daniel José Older	UF

January 8, 2015

TITLE	AUTHOR	SERIES
The Accursed Kings Series Books 1-3: The Iron King, The Strangled Queen, The Poisoned Crown (e)	Maurice Druon	HistF
Nature's Confession	J. L. Morin	SF
The Accidental Alchemist	The Accidental Alchemist	PM - An Accidental Alchemist Mystery 1

D - Debut
e - eBook
ed - Editor
h2mm - Hardcover to Mass Market Paperback
h2tp - Hardcover to Trade Paperback
K e - Kindle eBook only
ri - reissue or reprint


Ap - Apocalyptic
DF - Dark Fantasy
Dys - Dystopian
Esp - Espionage
F - Fantasy
Gh - Ghosts
GN - Graphic Novel
H - Horror
HistF - Historical Fantasy
LC - Literary Criticism
LF - Literary Fiction
Oc - Occult
P - Paranormal
PA - Post Apocalyptic
PM - Paranormal Mystery
PNR - Paranormal Romance
Th - Thriller
TT - Time Travel
Su - Supernatural
UF - Urban Fantasy
Z - Zombies