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And how!

I pulled this together on the train this morning, except the links I did over lunch, grammar and spelling should be in line with my standard posts :)

So many great books have either just come out, or are coming out in 2006, here is just a taste of them:

Kushiel's Scoin - Jacqueline Carey A new Trilogy from a very eloquent writer. Her first works are very deep, beautifully written stories set in a very exotic world of court intrigue, and erotica. This book is a direct continuation of that trilogy, in between she wrote a heart breaking two book series from the "bad guys" point of view.

The Thousand Fold Thought - Robert Scott Bakker the third book in an interesting and novel series by a new Canadian author. The first two books really did some neat stuff, and left you guessing on the outcome, I am really looking forward to more from this author.

Phantom - Terry Goodkind Yet another book in his Sword of Truth series, which has its ups (Faith of the Fallen) and downs (The Pillars of Creation). This book is the middle of a three part Arc starting in Chainfire, which was at or above average for a Goodkind book. While I am beginning to be a little melancholy about the whole series, I am in too deep, and quite frankly overly emotionally invested in the characters to give up until Terry has milked my wallet dry! Damn you Terry, damn you and your frightening visage.

A Feast of Crows - George R. R. Martin What can I say? I think I've ranted about this before, but can't find the reference on my blog, so to summarize. In 2003 this book was scheduled for release. If I had been more observant at the time I would have known that this date was pure fantasy of the publishers and book resellers, but Martin's site even listed a book signing date the day of the release so I figured I was gold. I re-read the 3 enormous novels in the series in anticipation only to be defeated. The book did release nearly 2 years later, and in fact is only half the book it was meant to be. Martin's story is so huge, so involving, and so interweaving that it burst the confines of the publisher paperback limits. So it was divided into two novels. Unlike some who might divide the story in half, Martin opted to divide the plot lines in half. So that the same time/story arc passes in each novel, but one novel contains one set of characters, and the other novel contains the rest. Seemingly to rejoin each other in the 6th novel, and conclude in the 7th. To be perfectly blunt about this issue, I really hope George finishes writing before he kicks it, he is getting old, and this story is amazing!

Promise of the Witchking - R A Salvatore Hey, don't knock it till you try it, everyone needs a little fluff in there reading, and my fluff is D&D novels, specifically Salvatore's. They are pretty good, although they can get jumbled in the fight sequences. Damn you Drizzt and your bracers of confusing fight sequences. I gave up on old Ed Greenwood; his books have just gone down hill. Yet Salvatore has never given me a dud, I would like to read his non-D&D novels some time...

Shaman's Crossing - Robin Hobb Robin has 9 books out that just great! The works speaks for itself, go read it! This is the first novel outside her world so I am very excited to give it a try (*** She has written a bunch under a pen name that I have also never read, but all her "Hobb" books are great.)

Shadowmarch - Tad Williams I'm just getting into Williams' work, and have been enjoying it. The Green Angle Tower series was quite good, but it had its slow spots, I want to get my head into his other work and have a good read, starting with his new book, which has received critical review it seems.

??? - Robert Sawyer I don't know what the book is called, but according to Robert's blog the first draft of his 17th book has gone to the editor, so good chance that this comes out in '06 sometime. In any respect I really like this guy's work, and he is a local boy, so local in fact that I have had 2 chance meetings with him. The second and more likely was outside the sci-fi con that happened here in Toronto a few years back, I think he was a key note speaker, so it made sense for him to be there. The first was far more unlikely, and more comical. I was thumbing a signed copy -- Chapters is big into getting local author's to sign like 1000-5000 copies of a book and slap an "autographed" sticker on the dust cover. -- of his short story anthology which had just been released. When a voice from behind me asks "so what do you think?" Without looking, or even considering who might ask such a random question in a book store (since I am apt to hover near the Sci-fi shelf and offer reading advice anyways.) In response I say, "Well it looks interesting, and Sawyer is one of my favorite authors, so I think I might just pick it up." At which point I turn around, or he responds I'm not sure, but I register his face and do a double take with the head shot on the back cover and nearly fall over dead from embarrassment. Who tells one of their favorite authors that they are their favorite author without sounding all gushy? In my defense, I didn't know. Long story short he was just passing through the book store to "use the washroom" and I suppose his ego couldn't help but be stroked by checking out his shelf of works, since it was NO WHERE NEAR THE WASHROOM. Can't fault the guy, he earned it, in any respect he personally autographed the copy in my hands so I felt obliged to buy it, and I was going to anyway, and now I have that great story I tell all the time.

Well that's all for now, hope some of you will try out some of my favorite author's, also some one go light a fire under Joanne Bertin, her first two novels kicked butt, gimmie the third!