Book Preview: Damned Busters- Matthew Hughes

Book: The Damned Busters
Author: Matthew Hughes
Publisher: Angry Robot
Review: Jeff

So I've mentioned a few times that I am looking forward to this book, and they finaly released the cover, and although it doesn't come out until june you can check it out now. in the meantime just wait for Pretty Little Dead Things that comes out in a few months or start reading King Maker by Maurice Brouddus, and/or Dead Men's Boots by Mike Carey like I am now. Anyways here is the blurb:

"The Canada-based writer of the acclaimed recent Henghis Hapthorn series brings us a trio of novels featuring mild-mannered actuary Chesney Anstruther. After he accidentally summons a demon (as you do), the canny Anstruther refuses to go ahead with any soul-selling, which leads through various confusions to, well, Hell going on strike. Which means that nothing bad ever happens in the world… with disastrous consequences. When Satan offers him his heart’s desire to sort the whole mess out, our hero seizes his chance, and becomes a caped crimefighter, with a very unwilling demon for a sidekick"

"the cover pretty much tells you the set-up of the novel. Mild-manned insurance actuary Chesney Arnstruther accidentally summons a demon, and by hook or by crook ends up with his heart’s desire – to be a superhero. But as we all know, it’s not always wise to get what one wishes for…"

looks like a lot of fun to me. I really look forward to reading this one.

Book Review: A Madness of Angels

Book Review: A Madness of Angels
Author: Kate Griffin
Publisher: Orbit Books
Review: Jeff

So I tend to not read too many female authors, I think that's mostly because although I love urban fantasy I am not really into the romance and/or vampire porn that a lot of the female authors seem to be writing in this genre. With this author though I felt safe with reading for a few reasons, first all the reviews i have read seemed different than most, also I do admittedly prefer a male protagonist, I don't know if I feel like I relate to the character better or what the case may be but it's just what I prefer. Also she has Mike Careys stamp of approval and that's good enough for me.

Anyways on to the book itself. I loved this book. It is about a sorcerer named Mathew swift. The book starts with explaining that he died 2 years previously and is brought back to life. He doesn't know why or how he was brought back to life, and now now is is on a mission to get revenge on the person that killed him and also find the person who brought him back to life to figure out why.

The magic in this book is great. In fact I would say the only magic that I like better is the Night Watch series by Sergie Lukyanenko, and that's saying a lot because that is my favorite urban fantasy series that I have read. When Mathew first leaves his old house that is now occupied by another family he hits the streets to start to find some answers. It doesn't take long before he runs into some bad magic as he finds that someone sent a "litter bug" after him. A litter bug is exactly what it sounds like. It is a bunch of trash mixed together and completely animated with arms legs a mouth etc... it follows Mathew and attacks him. Mathew gets his magic from the city he feels the magic and it is a part of him, and a part of life. there are all kinds of great characters in the book. the bad guys are great. especially the shadow of the sorcerer who taught him. it's a shadow that he calls "hunger" because it is always hungry for life, especially the life of those strong with magic. It is a really brutal killer with little on its mind other than killing. It especially wants to kill mathew because within mathew is the blue electric angels that live inside of him. There are many other characters that Mathew teams up with, and fight against. Some look like they will be returning in the second book the midnight mayor which is already out in hardback, but I like to wait for the paperback so I have a few more months to wait.

I loved this book and look forward to continuing with the series and hopefuly the other books live up to this one. I highly recomend this one even if like me you are hesitant to read a female urban fantasty author because you are worried it will be full of romance and other things that you try to avoid.

Book Preview: Pretty Little Dead Things

Book: Pretty Little Dead Things
Author: Gary McMahon
Publisher: Angry Robot Books

I mentioned earlier that the 2 angry robot books that I look forward to the most was matthew hughes damned busters and pretty little dead things by gary mcmahon. Looks pretty cool to me. I'm hoping it's Felix Castor type stories but we will see. Here is the blurb

"THOMAS USHER HAS A TERRIBLE GIFT.
Following a car crash in which his wife and daughter are killed, he can see the recently departed, and it’s not usually a pretty sight. When he is called to investigate the violent death of the daughter of a prominent local gangster, Usher’s world is torn apart once more. For the barriers between this world and the next are not as immutable as once he believed.

File Under: Horror [ See The Dead Skin Trade Beyond Reality A Sacrifice ]

Who Is Thomas Usher?

His name is Thomas Usher. A normal man. An average guy. Until he is involved in a tragic accident and his wife and daughter are killed.

After that, things begin to change. Usher is no longer normal. Or average. Now he can see the dead, and the dead can see him. They seek him out to help them, to usher them to the next level so they might face whatever comes next. The lost. The lonely. The departed. They never speak to him; they only ever demand his attention.

The ghosts are drawn to Usher, and he is compelled to help them in the hope that he might once again see his family. But sometimes, just sometimes, it isn’t enough and his efforts make things worse.

His name is Thomas Usher.

He is an usher for the dead.

It’s who he is.

It’s what he does."

Book Review: Changes

Book : Changes
Author: Jim Butcher
Publisher: Roc
Review by: Larry

Just finished Changes by Jim Butcher thirty seconds ago and I am still in shock from the ending. I literally sat here, at the computer, thinking, “Wow!” when trying to come up with a summary of the 10th book of the Dresden series.


I will try to walk the tightrope of reviewing the book without giving anything away, but I know it will be difficult, so if the review is short of details, know that it is that I would rather give you the surprise and joy of discovering the climaxes and shocks of this very well-crafted book in the natural way than ruin your reading pleasure with a poorly written review and a couple of plot spoilers.

The opening line of the book is “Hello Harry, you have a daughter and the vampires have taken her.” From there the book is non-stop action to the last page. It is a “typical” Dresden book, with Harry Dresden against the world, the “world” in this case being the White Council of Wizards, the FBI, Chicago Police, Vampires, and deaf little old ladies/landlords and a race to save his daughter before she is made a blood sacrifice by the King of the Red Vampires.

If you are familiar with the Dresden series, then you are familiar with the Butcher formula of Harry Dresden fighting impossible odds and multiple foes and never giving up. Well, in this one, Harry finally realizes that he is unable to win this fight against the Bad Guys. The author does an admirable job of conveying Dresden's feelings of frustration and helplessness without dragging the story to a halt with “Oh, woe is me!” Very well done, Mr Butcher.

I highly recommend this book, but if you have read the nine previous Dresden books then you are most likely going to read this book regardless of any review. Just know that when you start Changes, that you will get NO work done until you are finished with this book!

Now, if you haven't read the book yet, STOP READING THIS REVIEW HERE as I will be discussing plot spoilers.

1.Is this the last Dresden book? Sure looks like it, but there are unanswered questions still, namely, Who/what is the “Black Council”?

2.How would the White Council handle a powerful wizard being the Knight of Winter?

3.Now that Murphy is off the police force, what does she do? Murphy as assistant private eye with Harry (if Harry is still alive?)?

4.Who shot Harry?

5.Where was the Merlin when the wizards arrived at the climatic battle?

6.Why was Odin at the fight?

7.What additional powers/strengths would Harry receive as the Winter Knight, assuming Harry is still alive?

8.Why would Mr Butcher kill off Harry when the series is as popular as it is and there is so much “life” left in the story?

Leave a comment if you have any thoughts or insights on the above.

Press Release: Angry Robot Books to Join Osprey Publishing

For reasons I'm not sure about Fantasy/Sci Fi publisher Angry Robot who was part of harper collins has switched to Opsrey publishing. For those of us in the US it is cool because they are distributed by random house. The only bummer in this is that all the books have been delayed 4 months. 2 of the books I look most forward to are Damned Busters by Matthew Hughes, and Pretty Little Dead Things by Gary McMahon. Well anyways here is the info on the change:

Leading Non-Fiction Publisher Acquires Specialist Sci-Fi Fiction & Fantasy Imprint


Following an acclaimed first year of publishing, the revolutionary science fiction imprint Angry Robot Books has parted company with HarperCollins UK. It will now run as an independent publishing imprint, with the full backing of niche publishing experts, Osprey Publishing.

Angry Robot will continue to operate from its Nottingham base and with its existing team under Marc Gascoigne, its founder and publisher. Marc said: “With the support of HarperCollins UK, my team and I have worked very hard on Angry Robot since it was founded. We have a great publishing programme in place and a dedicated bunch of supporters, the Robot Army, as well as some excellent sales of our first titles in the UK and an imminent launch into the USA. We are very pleased to have become part of the burgeoning Osprey empire. They understand our business and the enthusiasts who drive it.”

Chris Michaels, HarperCollins Digital Publisher, Fiction/Non-Fiction, who helped set-up Angry Robot, said: “Having helped build the foundations for a successful future, we are delighted that the Angry Robot team has found a new publishing partner in Osprey. We believe this will help them develop their niche offering, supported by Osprey’s specialist sales and marketing teams. We wish them good luck for the future.”

Marc Gascoigne added, “Our publishing programme for 2010/11 will be basically unaffected by these changes. There will be a short break while the transition is sorted out, but we will be re-launching in September 2010 and then it will be business as usual.”

Osprey’s move is a reflection of the company’s continuing strategic drive into niche communities that share a deep enthusiasm for their interest or hobby, whether it be military history (Osprey Publishing), heritage (Shire Books), or science fiction and fantasy.

Richard Sullivan, Marketing Director at Osprey commented: “We have a great deal of experience of serving specialist niches with a very tight product focus. Angry Robot is a great fit with our existing businesses. We are very excited about the opportunity to enter into a new market and we are looking forward to helping Angry Robot, its authors and its readers go to some exciting places.”

Book Preview: The Midnight Mayor

Book Preview: The Midnight Mayor
Author: Kate Griffin
Publisher: Orbit
Preview: Jeff

This is the second book in the series. It is out already in hardcover, but I like to wait for the paperback wich comes out early next year. I am currently reading the first book of the series A Madness of Angels. I am really liking the book so far. Here is the blurb for this one:

"It's said that if the ravens ever leave the Tower of London, then the Tower will crumble and the kingdom will fall. Resurrected sorcerer Matthew Swift is about to discover that this isn't so far from the truth. . . One by one, the protective magical wards that guard the city are falling: the London Wall defiled with cryptic graffiti, the ravens found dead at the Tower, the London Stone destroyed. This is not good news. This array of supernatural defenses - a mix of international tourist attractions and forgotten urban legends - formed a formidable magical shield, one that could protect London from the greatest threat it has ever known. But what could be so dangerous as to threaten an entire city? Against his better judgment, Matthew Swift is about to find out. And if he's lucky, he might just live long enough to do something about it . . ."

Book Review: Fat White Vampire Blues

Book: Fat White Vampire Blues
Author: Andrew Fox
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Review: Larry

The typical vampire story , no matter how wild the plot, has one thing in common with all other vampire stories: the vamps are all portrayed as Brad Pitt look-alikes with sometimes dubious sexual preferences (my opinion is the author is usually a fat mid-western housewife writing down her sexual fantasies). Well, Fat White Vampire Blues definitely breaks that mold.


Taking place in modern day New Orleans, the story revolves around Jules, an anti-hero that you can’t help but root for. Central to the story is the thought that “you are what you eat”. So what happens when your “food” is the populace of New Orleans, the city with the dubious reputation as “the fattest city in the country”? In an area known for deep frying everything, the populace is understandably “large”. Enter Jules, who is an unapologetic 463 pound taxi driver that likes to buy his victim a big, greasy meal so that the blood he drinks later his loaded with triglycerides. Naturally, this “diet” has resulted in Jules being fat. But Jules has a new problem. See, New Orleans is 80 percent black so naturally most of his victims are black. Enter a new and powerful vampire to the New Orleans scene: Malice X. Malice shows up and says “his people” are off-limits to Jules and that Jules will have to stick to only white victims. Jules doesn’t like the idea but, like all fatties, was planning on going on a diet anyways. And like all fatties on a diet, he rapidly falls off the wagon. Shortly thereafter, Malice burns Jules’ home and is chasing Jules all over town.

What is not apparent in my synopsis is the personality of Jules. He is an ordinary working stiff with the best of intentions that things just continually turn bad for. This makes Jules a very comedic fall guy. The story is loaded with situational humor and is one of those books that demands to be read in one sitting. You will lose sleep if you start it at night.

One of my favorite scenes is Jules is stuck (wedged) in the back seat of his 70’s era Cadillac on top of his latest victim, and the neighborhood patrol shows up. Not being able to see the victim underneath Jules, they try to pull Jules out by his feet. Jules’ idea is to turn into a bat. Jules does, clambers out from the pile of clothes and intends on flying out the door into the night. He spreads his wings, flaps and falls off the seat onto the floorboard of the car. So Jules scurries out of the car and runs across the ground with the do-gooders in pursuit, wondering if Jules was a nutria (a swamp rat) with wings. The imagery is priceless!

There is an equally good sequel to this book called Bride of the Fat White Vampire and if you read Fat White Vampire Blues, you will definitely put it on your “to do” list