Short Takes On Important Spring Releases From Tor
WITHOUT MERCY. Colonel David Hunt and R.J. Pineiro. TOR.
Cover courtesy of Tor.
What might happen if ISIS acquires nuclear weapons and the ability to deliver them? In this latest action thriller by Colonel David Hunt and R.J. Pineiro, both Bagram AFB in Afghanistan and lower Manhattan promptly vanish in blue flashes. The story revolves around efforts to prevent a third nuclear attack. A real page-turner that’s made for the times in which we live.
SEVEN SURRENDERS. Ada Palmer. TOR
Cover courtesy of Tor
This is Palmer’s second book, following the heralded Too Like the Lightning, and it’s so good it makes you want to commence a slow, thorough reread the minute you finish it. Yes, Seven Surrenders is really that good; a complex, multi-layered, wildly imaginative story that compels complete attention. I’ve found that there have been a handful of books in my life that have elicited this reaction: Stephenson’s Cryptonomicon, for example, or Heller’s Catch-22 (a coming of age story I first read when I was 12). And Seven Surrenders just may be such a benchmark book, one you reread every 20 years or so to see how much the world and you have changed.
THE PATHFINDER SERIES. Various Authors. TOR.
Fans of The Pathfinder Series will be delighted to learn of two new titles in the 41-book collection: Gears of Faith by Gabrielle Harbowy, and Through the Gate In the Sea by Howard Andrew Jones. The series, based on the role-playing game (RPG) of the same name, takes place in the world of Pathfinder. For readers who aren’t familiar with the series, the Harbowy effort is a good spot to start. Her tale begins with Zae, a healer- priest gnome who uses jewelry piercing as a means to distract seven year old patients during surgery. Zae has a Samoyed dog named Appleslayer who sparks the plot line by destroying a strange mechanical device that once resembled an apple. What’s best about the series is found by-way of its wit, which proves refreshing to a genre that sometimes tries too hard to be taken seriously.
by Bryan Zepp Jamieson
© Bryan Zepp Jamieson. All rights reserved.
Zepp Jamieson was born in Ottawa, Ontario, and spent his formative years living in various parts of Canada, the UK, South Africa and Australia before finally moving to the United States, where he has lived for over 40 years. Aside from writing, his interests include hiking, raising dogs and cats, and making computers jump through hoops. His wife of 25 years edits his copy, and bravely attempts to make him sound coherent. Reach him through The Electric Review.
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