Harper Voyager Books

SNEAK PEAK--WRATH OF A MAD GOD by Raymond E. Feist

Check out the first chapter of WRATH OF A MAD GOD by Raymond Feist!

CHAPTER 1: ESCAPE

Miranda screamed.

The searing agony that seized her mind relented for the briefest moment, and in that instant she found what she had been seeking. The preponderance of her awareness was occupied with the battle of wills with her captors, but a tiny fragment—a disciplined fraction of her consciousness—had been readied. Over the days of interrogation and examination she had used every respite to partition off this one sliver of her intellect, to somehow overcome the blinding pain, and observe. During the last four encounters with the Dasati Death-­priests she had achieved that detachment and willed her body to withstand the pain. It was there, she knew, in-­flamed nerves protesting about the alien energies coursing across the surface of her mind, probing it, seeking insights into her very being, but she had learned to ignore physical pain centuries before. The mental assaults were more difficult, for they attacked the root of her power, the unique intelligence that made her a supreme magician on her home world.

These Dasati clerics lacked any pretense of subtlety. At first they had ripped open her thoughts like a bear pulling apart a tree stump looking for honey. A lesser mind would have been savaged beyond recovery on the first assault. After the third such onslaught, Miranda nearly had been reduced to idiocy. Still, she had fought back, and knowing there was no victory if there was

no survival, she had focused all her considerable talents first on endurance, then insight.

Her ability to shunt aside the terrible assault and focus on that tiny sliver of knowledge she had gained kept her sane. Her determination to overcome her captivity and return with that knowledge gave her purpose.

Now she feigned unconsciousness, a new ploy in her struggle with her captors. Unless they possessed finer skills than she had so far encountered, her charade was undetected: to them she appeared incapacitated. This counterfeit lack of awareness was her first successful conjuration since her captivity began. She risked just enough body awareness to ensure that her breathing was slow and shallow, even though she suspected the Deathpriests who studied her still knew too little about humans to understand what physical signs to observe. No, her struggle was in the mind, and there she would eventually triumph. She had learned more about her captors than they had about her, she was certain.

HUGO GIVEAWAY

No, we're not giving away one of the Hugos.  But to celebrate our Hugo nominees, we are giving away 10 copies of both THE YIDDISH POLICEMAN'S UNION and THE NEW SPACE OPERA.

Our nominees are:

THE YIDDISH POLICEMAN'S UNION, Michael Chabon  (Click here to read some)

"Who's Afraid of Wolf 359?" Ken Macleod

"Glory," Greg Egan

(Both stories are from THE NEW SPACE OPERA, edited by Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan. To read either story, click here.  To read more of THE NEW SPACE OPERA, click here.)

Plus, Jonathan Strahan is up for Best Editor, and Stephen Martiniere for Best Artist!

If you want your chance to win one of 10 copies of these great books, email us at eosbooks(at)harpercollins.com asap.  We'll announce the winners next week.

FREE HUGO SHORT STORIES: Ken Macleod and Greg Egan

We're absolutely thrilled that 2 stories from THE NEW SPACE OPERA, edited by Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan, are up for the Hugo Award!

The stories are "Who's Afraid of Wolf 359?" by Ken Macleod and "Glory" by Greg Egan. Our sincere congratulations to both authors!

In addition, Jonathan Strahan is up for Best Editor, and Stephen Martiniere (the cover artist) is up for Best Artist! More Congratulations!

Below the jump, find both stories, for your reading pleasure.  We'll have interviews with the authors shortly.

In addition, you can Browse Inside THE NEW SPACE OPERA here.

WRATH OF A MAD GOD

Raymond E. Feist, WRATH OF A MAD GOD

The New York Times bestselling fantasist returns with the thrilling conclusion to his explosive Darkwar Saga!

The Darkwar rages upon Midkemia and Kelewan, bringing bleak days of destruction and despair. To save the future of both worlds, the powerful sorcerer Pug and select members of the secretive Conclave of Shadows must journey deep into the dangerous realm of the bloodthirsty Dasati, there to carry out an audacious mission that has little, if any, chance of succeeding.

In Midkemia, young warriors Tad and Zane, and their fellow soldiers, protect the Kingdom from raiders. And Pug's beloved wife, Miranda, finds herself a prisoner of the Dasati and, even more ominously, of Pug's nemesis, the evil sorcerer Leso Varen.

Salvation may come from a friend thought long dead, an unlikely ally whose remarkable powers will be sorely needed in the momentous battle to come . . . a final, fevered onslaught against the most malevolent agents of evil ever known.

Want more? Click here to read the first few chapters!  And here's an interview.

The author will be signing WRATH OF A MAD GOD in San Diego this Sunday, 3/20 at 2:00pm:

Mysterious Galaxy Books

7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, Suite 302

Arthur C. Clarke: 1917-2008

here. The author of one of my all time favorite books, Childhood's End, has died.  Sir Arthur C. Clarke passed away in Sri Lanka, where he has lived since 1956.  He was 90 years old. 

Read more at USA TODAY.com

And, SF Signal has links to some free stories--written and audio--here.

March Books: THE UNDEAD KAMA SUTRA

THE UNDEAD KAMA SUTRA by Mario Acevedo

Felix Gomez, veteran and vampire detective extraordinaire, has survived aliens, nymphomaniacs, and x-rated bloodsuckers. But now the aliens are back, in a fiendish conspiracy to kidnap earth women. Only Felix stands between the aliens and their hapless prey. But when an Army hit man attacks Felix and fellow vampire (and sexpert) Carmen, only the astonishing erotic powers of the undead Kama Sutra may be able to save Felix.

Rollickingly funny, bitingly sarcastic, these books are pure fun, and are rapidly gaining cult popularity among readers.

“Acevedo has proven once again that he is a very disturbed man -- and I mean that in the absolute finest sense of the term.”
   — Tim Dorsey

“My built-in garlic factor usually puts me off vampire books, but Mario Acevedo has come up with such a fascinating character—Iraq war veteran Felix Gomez, who is a private detective as well as a vampire—that I was won over. Gomez, who saw so much human blood in Iraq, finds other nutrients to keep him alive. And Acevedo, a former Desert Storm infantry officer and helicopter pilot, has shrewdly sucked up enough inside details to make the plot of his first novel (which includes outbreaks of nymphomania and murder at a secret government facility) a jaunty and even touching experience.”
   — Dick Adler, Chicago Tribune

“Deliciously unique. A smooth combination of Anne Rice and Michael Connelly, with a generous portion of Dave Barry. Loaded with thrills, sex, violence, and laughs, both mystery fanactics and horror lovers will find plenty to love with this page-turning debut. Acevedo is a writer to watch!”
   — JA Konrath, author of Bloody Mary

Reader Reviews For EMISSARIES FROM THE DEAD

Check out what other readers are saying about EMISSARIES FROM THE DEAD by Adam-Troy Castro. 

Emissaries from the Dead is about a bleak and complicated Government Counselor named Andrea Cort, who is sent to an artificial world to investigate a murder. Her work was to interrogate and find a suspect and while doing so, she had been given orders that it could have no possibility of being the artificial hosts of the planet. That was her mission, but Andrea Cort doesn’t play by the rules. She pokes around in till her mystery is solved. She’s one tough cookie who doesn’t take crap from anybody, but there is a murderer out there that wants her gone and will do anything to do so.

     Emissaries from the Dead by Adam-Troy Castro has become one of my favorite science fiction novels. I don’t read much sci-fi, but what I have read are some of the greats. Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, and Poul Anderson. Just to name a few. Now the catch, I didn’t like the science fiction in this book. I thought it had too much sci-fi jargon in it and for some one who doesn’t read a whole lot of science fiction it was confusing. That aside, I hope this is a start of a series because the author put so much into world building it would be despairing for it to all go to waste. The story it self starts of slow, but when things kick into gear they really kick into gear. Andrea gets hate mail all the time for what she does, but in this world hate mail is at another level. Imagine logging on to you e-mail and receiving a movie or picture of a replica of you being tortured to death or set on fire. It only gets better from there. Even with the sci-fi stuff the story was enjoyable and I just fell in the love with the characters. When I read this book it became more about the story and the characters then the artificial intelligence stuff, gizmos, and do-dads. There isn’t much humor in the book, but when there was humorous parts it was laugh out funny for me. I hope to see more adventures with Andrea Cort, but the ending was good enough to be a stand alone book or a series.

--Allie

Match It for Pratchett

As you may know (Bob), Terry Pratchett has Alzheimers. He's now made a $1 million US (500,000 pound) donation to the Alzheimer's Research

Fans around the world are organizing a 'Match It for Pratchett' donation drive, with the goal of matching his donation.  Doners also have a chance to win a replica of the Luggage used in the upcoming BBC production of THE COLOR OF MAGIC. Details are here.  (N.B. The chance to win may be only open to UK residents.)

My grandmother died of Alzheimers, and it was fairly advanced by the time I was old enough to know her. So while I have a couple of memories of her teaching me how to arrange flowers (she taught flower-arranging and judged flower shows), I never really knew her.

I'll be donating to to the US Alzheimer's Association in her memory, and to the UK fund in the hopes that soon neither organization will need donations.

-- Diana

Link Roundup

While I'm catching up, lots of fun links for your surfing pleasure today:

Robin Hobb talks to Sci Fi Wire about RENEGADE'S MAGIC here.

Dark Party review asks Kim Harrison 5 questions. And she talks to Sci Fi Wire as well.

Sci Fi Weekly reviews THE SOMNAMBULIST.

SF SITE Editor's Choice for 2007 includes Matt Ruff's BAD MONKEYS and Michael Chabon's THE YIDDISH POLICEMAN'S UNION (also up for the Nebula Award), both published by Harper.

The Wertzone reviews THE YEAR OF OUR WAR.

-- Diana

Author Tour Blog: Kim Harrison

My nose is pointed to the east and I'm headed home, but there are a few more stops before I get there in Chicago and Austin.  Since I last posted, there have been a few more stops including Third Place Books and University Bookstore in Seattle.  I'd never been to Third Place Books, and I found it to be one of the nicest independent stores I'd been in.  University Bookstore was of course fantastic, and I had a great time talking to Duane, the SF/Fantasy guru.  I left him lots of mourning armbands and signed copies, so if you missed the signing, that's one source to get them.

             Guy flew in to Portland, surprising me.  He literally met me at my gate with a burning bunny made of chocolate, shocking the fairy farts out of me.  (grin)  The first question out of my mouth was, "What are you doing here?" and the second, "Where's my dog?"  So we spent two days together while I was a bundle of nerves, waiting for the call from my editor as to where THE OUTLAW DEMON WAILS would land on the NY Times list.  I didn't have to party alone when it came in at the fantastic position of five on the fiction hardback list.  (A big whoo-hoo! and a happy author dance.) You won't see it for a while on the stands for a while as there's a lag-time, but it will show up, and I can't be more pleased.  The names I'm with just take my breath away, and I know a lot of the success is from you, the readers, and you have my heartfelt thanks for running out and getting the book in that first week.

             The signing at Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing was as fabulous as I expected, with a big crowd and lots of familiar faces.  The who-read-the-book count is rising now, and we had 22 this time.  Guy had to leave halfway through to make his flight home, but it won't be long now before I'm sitting in my cushy chair, sippin' on my caffeine, working on Rachel's next adventure.

            (More pictures after the jump, as always.)

--Kim