51 replies to this topic

[Calibandar]

Definitly looks like an interesting book this one.

Also, So Deep a Malice by John Gwynne which had an interesting synopsis appears to come out in December, as per John Jarrold.

[YetiStomper]

Bumping this thread to see if anything new sprung up in the last month or so. Trying to put the finishing touches on a recommended debut list and everyone's input has been very helpful.

[Jussi]

There is a new title for Miles Cameron's debut novel: The Red Knight.

Scourge of the Betrayer by Jeff Salyards looks interesting:

Quote

A gritty new fantasy saga begins...

Many tales are told of the Syldoon Empire and its fearsome soldiers, who are known throughout the world for their treachery and atrocities. Some say that the Syldoon eat virgins and babies – or perhaps their own mothers. Arkamondos, a bookish young scribe, suspects that the Syldoon’s dire reputation may have grown in the retelling, but he’s about to find out for himself.

Hired to chronicle the exploits of a band of rugged Syldoon warriors, Arki finds himself both frightened and fascinated by the men’s enigmatic leader, Captain Braylar Killcoin. A secretive, mercurial figure haunted by the memories of those he’s killed with his deadly flail, Braylar has already disposed of at least one impertinent scribe... and Arki might be next.

Archiving the mundane doings of millers and merchants was tedious, but at least it was safe. As Arki heads off on a mysterious mission into parts unknown, in the company of the coarse, bloody-minded Syldoon, he is promised a chance to finally record an historic adventure well worth the telling, but first he must survive the experience!

A gripping military fantasy in the tradition of Glen Cook, Scourge of the Betrayer explores the brutal politics of Empire – and the searing impact of violence and dark magic on a man’s soul.

This novel will be published by Night Shade in May. It's the first book in the Bloodsounder's Arc series.

Edited by Jussi, 13 February 2012 - 03:20 PM.

[polishgenius]

The Miles Cameron book sounds good, but I always get leery when the advance hype for a book makes out like being gritty, dark and brutal in a fantasy setting is a unique selling point. Even if it's not the author himself, which there's no suggestion of in this case, it makes me worried that whoever picked out and pushed it for publication has been paying no attention to the genre for at least six years.

Still, I'll prolly give it a chance.

[Calibandar]

Another Night Shade debut.

EJ Swift's "Osiris", released in hardcover in June:

Quote

Nobody leaves Osiris. Osiris is a lost city. She has lost the world and world has lost her . . .



Rising high above the frigid waters, the ocean city of Osiris has been cut off from the land since the Great Storm fifty years ago. Most believe that Osiris is the last city on Earth, while others cling to the idea that life still survives somewhere beyond the merciless seas. But for all its inhabitants, Citizens and refugees alike, Osiris is the entire world–and it is a world divided.

Adelaide is the black-sheep granddaughter of the city’s Architect. A jaded socialite and family miscreant, she wants little to do with her powerful relatives–until her troubled twin brother disappears mysteriously. Convinced that he is still alive, she will stop at nothing to find him, even if it means uncovering long-buried secrets.

Vikram, a third-generation storm refugee quarantined with thousands of others in the city’s impoverished western sector, sees his own people dying of cold and starvation while the elite of Osiris ignore their plight. Determined to change things, he hopes to use Adelaide to bring about much-needed reforms–but who is using who?

As another brutal winter brings Osiris closer to riot and revolution, two very different people, each with their own agendas, will attempt to bridge the gap dividing the city, only to find a future far more complicated than either of them ever imagined.

Osiris is the beginning of an ambitious new science fiction trilogy exploring a near-future world radically transformed by rising seas and melting poles

[polishgenius]

Is Night Shade making a deliberate policy of sounding out and promoting debut authors or is it just a combination of luck and good scouting that's led to them consistently delivering the most noted and anticipated debuts of last and next year?

Coz I know they're not a totally new name but since The Wind-Up Girl came out they seem to be getting far more attention. Or is that just me?

Edited by polishgenius, 18 February 2012 - 10:14 AM.

[nickg]

I know they have their New Voices program. I believe that's where books like Gods War, Whitefire Crossing, Faith, Necropolis, and Winds of Khalakovo ( among others, most of them very good ). They certainly have been kicking ass with debuts. Scourge of the Betrayer and Osiris are two more that I will most likely pick up, along with the sequels to debuts from last year.

Edited by nickg, 18 February 2012 - 03:46 PM.

[Larry.]

Two are in my Amazon pre-order cart (both are authors whose short fiction I had marked down for consideration for Best American Fantasy 4 two years ago) for their debut books:

Leah Bobet, Above (April)

L. Annette Binder, Rise (August)


Bobet's is being marketed as YA, while Binder's is a debut collection of fantastical fictions.  I have extremely high expectations for both.

[Roose Bolton's Pet Leech]

polishgenius, on 13 February 2012 - 09:31 PM, said:

The Miles Cameron book sounds good, but I always get leery when the advance hype for a book makes out like being gritty, dark and brutal in a fantasy setting is a unique selling point. Even if it's not the author himself, which there's no suggestion of in this case, it makes me worried that whoever picked out and pushed it for publication has been paying no attention to the genre for at least six years.

I think it's more a case of the publisher deciding 'grit is the in thing for fantasy', and trying to play into that general zeitgeist.

[Jeff Salyards]

Jussi, on 13 February 2012 - 03:18 PM, said:

There is a new title for Miles Cameron's debut novel: The Red Knight.

Scourge of the Betrayer by Jeff Salyards looks interesting:



This novel will be published by Night Shade in May. It's the first book in the Bloodsounder's Arc series.

I'm glad to hear some folks are interested. Night Shade Books has really made it a priority the last few years to find, publish, and promote debut authors. Which worked out well for me. ;-)

[Jeff Salyards]

nickg, on 18 February 2012 - 03:43 PM, said:

I know they have their New Voices program. I believe that's where books like Gods War, Whitefire Crossing, Faith, Necropolis, and Winds of Khalakovo ( among others, most of them very good ). They certainly have been kicking ass with debuts. Scourge of the Betrayer and Osiris are two more that I will most likely pick up, along with the sequels to debuts from last year.

Thanks, Nickg. They have been really showcasing the newbies of late. Which, being a newbie, I fully endorse!

[Shinrei]

Jeff Salyards, on 03 March 2012 - 06:39 PM, said:

I'm glad to hear some folks are interested. Night Shade Books has really made it a priority the last few years to find, publish, and promote debut authors. Which worked out well for me. ;-)

Hi Jeff,

Are there any excerpts online or do you have an own blog/homepage? I'd really like to read something Oh and i hope your book comes with a map? (me <-- total map-addict )

[Jeff Salyards]

Shinrei, on 07 March 2012 - 12:10 PM, said:

Hi Jeff,

Are there any excerpts online or do you have an own blog/homepage? I'd really like to read something Oh and i hope your book comes with a map? (me <-- total map-addict )

Hi Shinrei,

My website is http://jeffsalyards.com/ and there is an excerpt on there. Unfortunately (I know this result in folks throwing rotten cabbage and turnips at me), there is no map for book one. However, there will be for book two.. I love maps too, but the first book takes place in one region, so that should be at least a little balm.

Now, so as not to completely hijack, it does look like there are a lot of good debuts coming out this year. I know this will make me sound like a total homer, but Night Shade really seems to be making a concerted effort to promote the newbies. Laird Barron's The Croning looks really interesting.

[Shinrei]

Thanks, Jeff
And i hope to see the map on your website *hint hint*

[Jeff Salyards]

Shinrei, on 08 March 2012 - 03:21 PM, said:

Thanks, Jeff
And i hope to see the map on your website *hint hint*

Good idea. Check your PM.

[Ormond]

Garlan the Gallant, on 19 November 2011 - 08:48 PM, said:

I'm not sure if these are debut authors:
Chrysanthe by Yves Meynard March 13, 2012 (US)
Son of the Morning by Mark Alder April 1, 2013 (UK)
vN by Madeline Ashby

Yves Meynard is not a debut author. I read his novel The Book of Knights quite a while ago.

http://www.bewilderi...nights_rev.html

"Mark Alder" and "M. D. Lachlan " are evidently both pseudonyms of Mark Barrowcliffe. Madeline Ashby's homepage, however, does indicate that this is her first novel, though she's published short stories before:

http://www.rantingdr...gel-and-fenrir/

http://madelineashby.com/?page_id=23

[Jussi]

Yet another synopsis for Cameron's The Red Knight:

Quote

Twenty eight florins a month is a huge price to pay, for a man to stand between you and the Wild.

Twenty eight florins a month is nowhere near enough when a wyvern’s jaws snap shut on your helmet in the hot stink of battle, and the beast starts to rip the head from your shoulders. But if standing and fighting is hard, leading a company of men – or worse, a company of mercenaries – against the smart, deadly creatures of the Wild is even harder.

It takes all the advantages of birth, training, and the luck of the devil to do it.

The Red Knight has all three, he has youth on his side, and he’s determined to turn a profit. So when he hires his company out to protect an Abbess and her nunnery it’s just another job. The abbey is rich, the nuns are pretty and the monster preying on them is nothing he can’t deal with.

Only it’s not just a job. It’s going to be a war...

http://www.orbitbook...the-red-knight/

[Gormenghast]

I'll repeat what I was asking in the other thread. There was this debut, or maybe not exactly a debut, that was announced in Summer 2011 or even earlier. I don't remember much to identify this, but I do remember that the release date was quite distant, possibly even into 2013. And I remember that the publisher was enthusiastic because there was a big publisher bid war over this author and in the end they won.

It wasn't fantasy and I think it was kind of weird or very twisted historical fiction set in Russia or something like that. The few things I remember about the synopsis were quite absurd.

While looking around I thought it could have been about this book: http://en.wikipedia....e_(Dukaj_novel)

Which sounds EXCEPTIONAL. But I don't think it's this one since I can't find a similar announce by the publisher to the one I described, and because the rights for this book have been lost and, I think, never officially announced.

So can anyone remember if there was a new author announced in the last year mentioning these bid wars, that led to a rather big advance, set in Russia and planned for 2012 or 13?

[Bastard of Godsgrace]

Gormenghast, on 24 March 2012 - 07:51 PM, said:

While looking around I thought it could have been about this book: http://en.wikipedia....8Dukaj_novel%29

Which sounds EXCEPTIONAL.

This sure is so. One of my favorite novels ever. Very tough to translate, though, since it is written in a version of Polish full of Russian (and faux-Russian ) words. Anyhow if it was to be translated into English, I would surely heard about it, so I think you mean some other book.

Edited by Bastard of Godsgrace, 25 March 2012 - 02:23 PM.

[Jussi]

Evie Manieri's first novel Blood's Pride, book one of the Shattered Kingdoms, is coming out in August. The publisher is Jo Fletcher Books.

Quote

A generation has passed since the Norlanders' great ships bore down on Shadar, and the Dead Ones slashed and burned the city into submission, enslaving the Shadari people. Now the Norlander governor is dying and, as his three alienated children struggle against the crushing isolation of their lives, the Shadari rebels spot their opening and summon the Mongrel, a mysterious mercenary warrior who has never yet lost a battle. But her terms are unsettling: she will name her price only after the Norlanders have been defeated. A single question is left for the Shadari: is there any price too high for freedom?

http://www.amazon.co...34747630&sr=1-1