Very happy to have this arrive on my doorstep yesterday. I think that’s actually the last thing I have on order for 2017 and it’s going directly to the Holiday Reading List pile. I haven’t included these Bauchelain & Korbal Broach novellas in my post on reading order for the Malazan series because they don’t really impact S.E. and I.E.’s overall story arc(s) – the main characters appear from time to time in the Malazan novels but the novellas stand alone. They’re a bit dark at times but humorous and fun and very much worth the time.
It also lets me shift my acquisition focus to 2018 and I thought I’d preview what’s in the que for the 1st half of the year. These are all the books I have in my cart on Amazon with a publication date sometime during 2018.
- The Labyrinth Index by Charles Stross: Next book in the Laundry Files series with a publication date of July 3, 2018. Check out my In The Cart post on “The Fuller Memorandum” for comments on this series. Short to long – these are really enjoyable books, making up a consistently enjoyable series. Stross just finished a major story arc in his last Laundry Files novel – “The Delerium Brief” – and he’s set to move into a new phase involving – I hope – what’s referred to in the books as “Case Nightmare Green”. If you haven’t read these books, I strongly suggest you give them a try. Start with “The Atrocity Archives” and see how they sit with you. I was immediately hooked.
- Emergence by C.J. Cherryh: Next book in the Foreigner series with a publication date of January 2, 2018. I’ve read almost all of the books in this series – I think I’m 3 books behind right now – and find them consistently enjoyable. This is the 19th book in the series so I’ve been with it for a loooong time. This is not a book that you’re going to enjoy unless you’ve read all that comes before so you’ve got a pretty long row to how if you decide to take the plunge. Having said that, I buy them all as they’re released, they vary from good to great but they’ve never left me feeling like I’ve wasted my time.
- Black Chamber by S.M. Stirling: First book in a new series by the author of the Change novels with a publication date of July 3, 2018. I just finished his most recent installment in the Change series – “The Sea Peoples” – and enjoyed it every bit as much as I have the previous 13 books (17 if you include the 3 Island In The Sea Of Time novels). I’ve read most of S.M. Stirling’s stuff (the Draka novels, The Peshawar Lancers, Conquistador, etc.) and – with the exception of the Shadowspawn novels (I found both the characters and the stories uncharacteristically weak and one dimensional), I’ve really enjoyed it all. He’s launching a new alternate universe with this book – set in the time of the First World War – and I’m excited to see what he’s come up with.
- In Enemy Hands Limited Leatherbound Edition by David Weber: Limited edition reprint of the seventh book in the Honorverse series with a publication date of January 2, 2018. I’ve read every Honorverse novel that David Weber has written. He’s still adding to the series but I buy and read them these days mainly as a labor of love – and each new release seems to get just a little more laborious. “On Basilisk Station” is, to this day, one of the most enjoyable military SF novels I’ve ever read and so many of the subsequent books were almost as good. Somewhere along the way in this massive narrative, Weber just seems to have run out of steam or become lazy. The characters have become too cliche and the non-combat portions have become waaaay too preachy and simplistic. This is purely a collection purchase – I have all the previously released, hard cover releases of all the Honorverse novels and I’ve been buying these Leatherbound Editions to complete my set.
- A Call To Vengeance by David Weber: Third novel in the Honorverse prequel series called Manticore Ascendant with a publication date of March 6, 2018. My comments above on the decline in the quality of the Honorverse novels applies here as well. The first two books have been entertaining but nothing special. They’re a little clunky, the characters are cliche and the story is just too simplistic. Having said that, very few authors can describe a small to large space fleet action like Weber and for this reason alone, I’ll continue to buy the books and wade through all the tiresome bits just to have him take me into combat.
- Good Guys by Steven Brust: New series by the author of the Vlad Taltos novels with a publication date of March 6, 2018. If you haven’t read the Vlad Taltos novels – BUY THEM AND READ THEM NOW – every new title in this series is a gem, the main character and his familiar are wonderful and the world they live in is just fascinating. I feel the same way about these books as I do about Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden stories – pure gold. I just finished Brust’s most recent installment, “Vallista”, and was not disappointed. My only frustration here is that hardcover editions are only available for about half the titles in this series and it’s killing me as a collector. I need some publisher to buy the rights and release a consistent and comprehensive hard cover edition of this series. Brust has also written a couple of prequels – one consisting of two books and one trilogy – to his Taltos series and those books are just as good. The first of these – “The Phoenix Guards” – is a retelling of Dumas’ “The Three Musketeers” in the Taltos universe and it continues to be one of the most enjoyable reads I’ve ever had. This new series is actually set in our world and involves a magic, secret society – all I really know at this point. Given how much I’ve always enjoyed Brust’s books, I can’t wait to see what he’s going to do with this new story.
- The Night Dahlia by R.S. Belcher: Second book in the Nightwise series with a publication date of April 3, 2018. Belcher is a relatively new author for me. I discovered him when I picked up what I think was his first book – “The Six-Gun Tarot”. It’s an alternative universe set in the Old West – crazy weird and very fun. The second and third books in what has come to be called the Golgotha series – “The Shotgun Arcana” and “The Queen Of Swords” were just as good. Try them if you haven’t – I don’t think you’ll regret it. As he’s been writing the Golgotha books, he’s also released two other singleton titles that felt like test novels for new series’. The first – “Brotherhood Of The Wheel” – was a failure on all levels – one of those books that you look back on as a waste of time and I suspect one that Belcher regrets. I did finish it simply because I enjoyed the Golgotha books so much and never gave up hope. Still, I wouldn’t waste your time with this one. The second – “Nightwise” – was very good. It was very dark and uncomfortable in places but it was compelling. This is one I would recommend. “The Night Dahlia” is the second in the Nightwise series and I’m hoping it’s every bit as good as the inaugural novel. I do have one frustration – all of Belcher’s other books have been available in hard cover. As of now, this one looks like it’s only available in soft cover. If that doesn’t change, I may just buy an e-copy and wait for release of a hard cover. Having said that, this one will be read as soon as it’s available.
- The Lost Plot by Genevieve Cogman: Fourth book in The Invisible Library Series with a publication date of January 9, 2018. I’ve read the first book in this series – “The Invisible Library” – found it really fun and entertaining. I have the second and third books but haven’t been able to get to them yet. This is the fourth in the series and I’m going on faith with an On The Shelf purchase. Similar frustration here to the situation with Belcher’s new book – the first three titles in the series have been available in hard cover. As of now, this one looks like it’s only available in soft cover. If that doesn’t change, I’ll probably hold off – at least until I’ve made it through the first three.
That’s what I have lined up for 2018 so far. I’m most excited about “The Labyrinth Index”, “Good Guys” and “The Night Dahlia”. I’ll supplement the post as new titles pop up.
Cheers