Stego Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham. (Co-Author of Shadow Twin with GRRM and Gardner Dozois, the man who suggested the method in which to split AFFC into geographical sections, and first time novelist) from Publisher's Weekly..... Gesture and posture convey as much information as spoken words in Abraham's impressive first novel, a fantasy set in a world where poets create and bind powerful shape-shifting creatures called "andat." The Empire hangs on, literally, by a thread; the cloth industry depends on the ability of andat Seedless to magically remove seeds from cotton plants to keep commerce flowing and the barbarians in check. Seedless, who can also remove unborn children from their mother's womb, aims to drive his poet-creator, Heshai-kvo, mad with grief. A love triangle develops among a threesome -- Heshai's apprentice, Maati; Itani, a laborer with a past; and the beautiful scribe Liat -- as they unknowingly assist the andat in his plot to abort a wanted child. When Liat's master, Amat Kyaan, uncovers the plan, Amat must flee and live as a bookkeeper in a brothel. The complex characters all struggle to navigate a path between their duty to their Empire and to themselves. A blurb from George R.R. Martin will help alert his fans to this promising newcomer. I just got my hands on an ARC from a friend. I just started it, but it's fascinating and well written. Abraham is already a craftsman, but if he can keep getting better, he'll be a fucking artisan. I'll update this when I've completed the novel. A Shadow in Summer willl be released in March from TOR Books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastard of Godsgrace Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 It does look very interesting. I will wait for your opinion with interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobodymN Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 I finished reading it a couple days ago, excellent beginning to a series. A must buy for fans of top tier epic fantasy work. I will have a review up closer to release, and an interview with Abraham as well. Here is a part of the Martin blurb (that is on the ARC): he tells their stories in an elegant style that reminded me by turns of Gene Wolfe, Jack Vance, and M. John Harrison"-GRRM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastard of Godsgrace Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Thank you. Another must buy, I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobodymN Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Thank you. Another must buy, I guess. Very few must buys in epic fantasy IMHO this is one of them. Very impressive start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dajamieson Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Not published over here until March, guess I'll give it a go. If only the title didn't make me think of Penman so much:/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Forbes Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Are there creatures opposed to the andat called the dis? (waits for groans....) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaceBannon42 Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 I have this on pre-order from Clarkesbookworld.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobodymN Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 One of the nice elements Abraham employs is creating secondary (sometime primary) communications method, through numerous different poses that is as effective and intricate as speaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashara Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 I don't know why, but the summary sounds well... boring and silly? Plus it's too oriental-ish for my taste Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stego Posted January 3, 2006 Author Share Posted January 3, 2006 Ashara, I just googled it, and it appears your signature comes from Forgotten Realms. Not only that, but from a video game. Boring and silly you say? *is considering the source* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxom 1974 Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Now now, Stego...the blurb you posted does sound a bit convoluted...I had to read it three time...but I do thinik I'll be wanting to check this out...it might seem convoluted, but it's also intriguing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhaco Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Are there creatures opposed to the andat called the dis? (waits for groans....) I don't know why, but the summary sounds well... boring and silly? Agreed. The plot certainly does not seem very gripping. Skill and style can make all the difference in the world, though. Probably something I'll test drive via the library before buying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eurytus Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Googling someone's signature to belittle their posts? Wow. Perish the thought that they should express a viewpoint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stego Posted January 3, 2006 Author Share Posted January 3, 2006 Eurytus.....you must admit that the name attributed to the quote sounds like a bad D+D character. I was curious...... as a scholar of speculative fiction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobodymN Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Depending on how one wants to define epic fantasy, I don't think there wll be another better example this year than Abraham, excluding Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora, - which you heard it here first is going to be the biggest debut of 2006. That book is the real deal. I have to say after reading A Shadow in Summer, I'm more impressed with its possibilites than I was with after reading the first insallments of either Greg Keyes' or JV Jones's current series (both of which I enjoyed). I was a bit wary, as Martin invokes M. John Harrison in his blurbage -- which is never to be taken lightly -- but Abraham pulls of a damn nice book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhaco Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Depending on how one wants to define epic fantasy, I don't think there wll be another better example this year than Abraham... Including Bakker's TTT, Jay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobodymN Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Including Bakker's TTT, Jay? Truth be told, I keep counting The Thousandfold Thought as a 2005 read (and wrongly so). I was really talking about new epic series. I will say this, I loved The Darkness that Comes Before, but it's not nearly as strong as the two following installments, The Warrior Prophet really was responsible for me viewing Bakker as an elite writer and not just a very good one, and TTT confirmed that. If you're asking me about Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora, as a debut, I found it more impressive than Bakker's. Lynch brings something to the table that I hope I can put into words by the time I review the book (probably next month). It's a fun quality, but it's more than that. Now that doesn't really mean anything because Bakker has wrtten 2 slammin books to follow it up. I absolutely love The Lies of Locke Lamora. I just thought it was excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calibandar Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 I had the same thought as Ashara, the story as revealed here by PW sound lame to me. In fact now that I get more of an idea of what the book is about I think I'll refrain from buying it. GRRM can recommend it, but as we should know by now, even an author's recommendation isn't a guarantee that you yourself will like the book, it's still only one man's taste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eurytus Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Eurytus.....you must admit that the name attributed to the quote sounds like a bad D+D character. I was curious...... as a scholar of speculative fiction. Maybe so. But bad names and fantasy go together like........well two things that go very well together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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