Author: Paul Walsh

I'm a big fan of fantasy and scifi, which would make up most of my reading but will branch out often enough. Favourite authors vary over time but generally include Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Conn Iggulden, Robert Harris, Karen Maitlan, Kate Mosse, Anne Rice, Philip K Dick, Ray Bradbury. John Scalzi, Mark Lawrence, Pat Rothfuss and a host of others. I'm not the harshest reviewer but will note down a few words on all books I read.

Cover artworks nominated for The Ravenheart Award in 2016

On By Paul WalshIn Awards2 Comments

As a follow up to the Gemmell nominations, here is a post which shows all the wonderful cover art nominated for the long list. There is a link to a page on the awards for each of the authors.

Don’t forget to vote here -http://www.gemmellawards.com/award-voting-2016/

I know my favourite from below but it is a stunning selection.

that thorn guy

As listed on The David Gemmell Awards For Fantasy website the cover artworks nominated by publishers this year are as follows:

James Annal for Uprooted by Naomi Novik (Pan Macmillan)

uk-uprooted

Tommy Arnold for Skyborn by David Dalglish  (Orbit)

Skyborn-David-Dalglish

Kerem Beyit for The Dread Wyrm by Miles Cameron  (Gollancz)

dread

Jason Chan for The Liar’s Key by Mark Lawrence  (Harper/Voyager)

Liar's key UK cover

Wendy Chan for Swords and Scoundrels  by Julia Knight  (Orbit)

SwordsAndScoundrels

Alejandro Colucci for The Boy Who Wept Blood  by Den Patrick  (Gollancz)

9780575134331

Bastien Lecouffe Deharme for The Darkling Child  by Terry Brooks  (Orbit)

21313878

Krzysztof Domaradzkifor Old Man’s Ghosts  by Tom Lloyd  (Gollancz)

21090165

Larry Elmore & Carol Russo Design for Son of the Black Sword by Larry Correia(Baen)

25952316

Mark Ferrari for The Flotsam Trilogy Omnibus by Peter M Ball  (Apocalypse InkProductions)

perf5.500x8.500.indd

Christopher Gibbs for The Cathedral of Known Things  by Edward Cox (Gollancz)

coxe-rg2-cathedralofknownthingsuk-sm-e1427313841723

Sam…

View original post 363 more words

Advertisement

Gemmell Award Longlist. Get your votes in

On By Paul WalshIn AwardsLeave a comment

I am a big fan of the Gemmell Awards.It tends to sit much better with my general taste in books than the other genre fiction awards, and I can generally get enthusiastic as I have read a reasonable amount of the nominees in any given year.
For those unfamiliar with the Gemmells there are three awards to keep it simple –

The Legend Award for Best Fantasy Novel.

The Morningstar Award for Best Debut Fantasy Novel in English

The Ravenheart Award for Best Fantasy Cover Art Continue reading “Gemmell Award Longlist. Get your votes in” →

Where Have All the Good Blogs Gone?

On By Paul WalshIn Misc5 Comments

Nice recognition of our Blog and others 🙂

S.C. Flynn

Two very well-known and much loved genre sites have announced their closure over the lest few days. First SF Signal, long-running multi-contributor site established by John DeNardo and JP Frantz. Then My Bookish Ways, the blog of SF Signal associate editor Kristin Centorcelli.

These closures have prompted renewed discussion about  various issues that have been around in SFF blogging circles for some years. How to balance the necessary time with a day job and family? How to make money from blogging? Will only corporate-funded sites survive? What is the future of genre blogging? And: where have all the good blogs gone?

One of the SF Signal gang, Andrea Johnson, sees the mother site’s closure as the moment for her and others to go forward on tbeir own. John DeNardo has affirmed this.

Personally, I am sad about the closure of SF Signal and My Bookish Ways, but optimistic about the…

View original post 299 more words

Ask The Author -Interview with Michael J Sullivan

On By Paul WalshIn Ask the Author7 Comments

Michael J. Sullivan

Michael J Sullivan has been kind enough to give us even more of his time and has answered a few interesting questions below. We have avoided the usual questions on his work and delved into his interests in scifi and fantasy .

 

 

1.For many readers of fantasy and science fiction, video games, tabletop games and card games are a big part of their lives or have had a large influence on their reading. One of the most well known for many is Dungeons and Dragons. So, if you were a D and D character, what would you be and why?

 

Okay, so you have to go right for the throat and expose the nerd, huh? Yes, I played D&D, mostly as a dungeon master. My first and main character was an elven fighter/magic-user/thief named Warwick. My second was a paladin so lawful good that it constantly landed him in trouble. Of course, this question is trying to determine how I see my real self through a fantasy game. So I will go with the obvious: Half-elf, fighter/thief.

 

Bonus answer: I played a wizard in Everquest. Continue reading “Ask The Author -Interview with Michael J Sullivan” →

Hugo Awards Short List 2016

On By Paul WalshIn Misc5 Comments

Hugo Awards

The Hugo awards short lists have been announce.A few of  our books of the months have made the Novel category. I have posted the full list below . Any thoughts let me know. If any member has a review or thoughts on any of the nominations we’d be delighted to post them.

I’d love to see NK Jemisin lift best novel and I’m a big fan of most of the Cambell award for new writers nominees , I just recently finished Sebastian De Castells third book and it was stunning.

Some issue with nomination slates like last year but mainly in the less popular categories.And of course we will all be rooting for My Little Pony in Best Dramatic Presentation Short Form.

Some links in the title lead to freely available online publications (Courtesy of Andreas from reiszwolf.wordpress.com)

 

 

Best Novel (3695 nominating ballots)

  • Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie (Orbit)
  • The Cinder Spires: The Aeronaut’s Windlass by Jim Butcher (Roc)
  • The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)
  • Seveneves: A Novel by Neal Stephenson (William Morrow)
  • Uprooted by Naomi Novik (Del Rey)

Continue reading “Hugo Awards Short List 2016” →

Michael J Sullivan – Book of the Month Theft of Swords- Ask the Author Review

On By Paul WalshIn Ask the Author, Books of the Month2 Comments

Michael J. SullivanMichael writes classical fantasy and science fiction with unlikely heroes and epic adventures. His books have sold more than three quarters of a million English language copies, been translated into 12 foreign languages, and appeared on more than 150 best-of or most-anticipated lists.

Last year we chose Theft of Swords, part one of the Riyria Revelations as our Fantasy Book of the Month for October and Michael J Sullivan was kind enough to do an ask the author thread for us.

Here I will show some of the questions and answers from the thread including a really interesting comparison of his upcoming series Age of Myths to his other work.

Also keep an eye out for an upcoming interview by our own Sir Lancer with the author, where Sir Lancer asks a more interesting variety of Questions. Continue reading “Michael J Sullivan – Book of the Month Theft of Swords- Ask the Author Review” →

Book of the Month – Look Back at 2015

On By Paul WalshIn Books of the Month, Yearly Review5 Comments

Before we start posting upcoming book of the month details I thought it might be interesting to highlight the group choices over the previous year.

Each month we choose a Fantasy book and a Scifi book through nominations and voting and I believe we chose a great selection last year.

Our discussions stay open and anyone can join .

Let us know have you enjoyed any of these

All discussions saved here –

Overall – https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_folder/183499?group_id=106876

Fantasy – https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_folder/180241?group_id=106876

Scifi – https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_folder/189817?group_id=106876

January –

– FANTASY: City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett

20174424
– SCI-FI: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel Continue reading “Book of the Month – Look Back at 2015” →